Wrapping Up

The majority of the work on West 5th Street is finished up and the road is completely open to general traffic along the entire stretch of the project.  Yet a few items remain and hopefully the weather will allow for sub-contractors to finish that work this week.  Here is a quick outline of the work to be done.

Street Markings
The yellow raised markers that were put down after paving are only temporary and will be removed this week once the sub-contractor comes in to grind the mid lane markings and paint them.  This work will be done under traffic with flaggers providing traffic control along the route.  The contractor is expected in on Wednesday, September 3rd to do this work.

Seeding
The sub-contractor for seeding still needs to come in and do the seeding work on the project.  They are also anticipated to be in this week.  They will smooth the disturbed areas and put down grass seed via a process called Hydroseeding.  Hydroseeding will help to protect the seed and to keep it moist while it grows.  It will also prevent against erosion during heavy rains.

Here is a quick link to a three minute video on hydroseeding to learn more!

Homeowners where seeding is going to occur should note that walking on the area that is hydroseeded will cause the moisture lock that is part of the process to crack and become unusable.  It is recommended to stay off the area until the grass has been established (about 3-4 weeks under ideal conditions).

Thanks for your patience with this project!

August 15, 2014 Update

Rain, Rain, you know the rest!

The weather is impacting the progress of the project and at this point work is halted until at least Monday but the current forecast for Monday through Wednesday is not much better.  We'll update next Monday again if there are any further delays due to weather.

As of today here is the schedule moving forward:

Section from Northwestern to the RR Tracks -
Paving of the final lift of asphalt is currently scheduled for Monday, August 18th.  If we stay on that schedule the road will open to all traffic sometime on Tuesday, August 19th.

Section from the RR Tracks east to the alley between Ontario and Geneseo Streets -
Milling will occur on Monday, August 18th or the same day as the paving of the section from Northwestern to the RR Tracks.  This will close the section of road to through traffic.  Access to businesses and parking will be on side streets only.  Depending on the condition of the road cross traffic MAY be allowed on Ontario Street.

Patching of this section will immediately follow with paving of the first lift to follow that.  The second lift will be done in conjunction with the paving of the rest of the section east of the RR tracks.

Section from the alley between Ontario and Geneseo Streets to Lake Avenue -
As of right now it is anticipated that milling on this section will occur late next week or early the week of August 25th.  Patching and the first lift of paving will follow.

The map below shows the work sections for the downtown area.

August 11 Update

Here is the latest schedule as of this afternoon:

Sub-contractor will be patching areas on the section between Vestal Street and the RR tracks to the east today and tomorrow (August 12).

On Wednesday, August 13th the contractor will place the first lift of asphalt down on the section between the RR tracks and Vestal Street.

That work will be immediately followed by the placement of the second lift from Northwestern to the RR tracks.  Based on this schedule the section from Northwestern to the RR Tracks will be open on Friday, August 15th.

On Thursday, August 14th the contractor will start the milling and removal of asphalt from the section east of the RR tracks to Lake Avenue.  That work is anticipated to take two days followed by the required patching that is needed.

Later this week we will have a map available of the closures once work starts on the eastern most phase of the project so check back to the blog later this week to see that map.

Again once paving starts in the respective areas the road will be closed to all traffic in that section until the paving is complete.

Next Steps

We are ready to move east yet again as the contractor today starting placing the first lift of asphalt down on the section from Northwestern to Vestal Street.  They hope to finish that lift yet today but if not they will most likely finish on Monday.  Driving on the road while the lift is being put down and cooling is no allowed so residents will be asked to park on side streets for this section while this work is being done.

The contractor is ready to start the milling process on the next section from Vestal Street to the railroad tracks.  They are scheduled to start the milling process on this section on Saturday, August 9th.  Patching will follow immediately after they have finished the milling to be followed by the placement of asphalt in this section.

More information next week on the section east of the railroad tracks.

Stage A Almost Complete & Other Updates

The contractor was back onsite today placing asphalt in Stage A from Vista Drive to Northwestern.  That section should be finished up tonight and should be open to thru traffic yet today!

Work will not focus on the section from Northwestern to Vestal Street with potentially the start of paving in that are tomorrow (weather pending).  If we have rain tomorrow, which is highly predicted, it will push back the first lift to Thursday.  Once the first lift on this section has been placed the contractor will start removals in the next section from Vestal to the RR Tracks.  Once removals start there the section will be closed to through traffic and local traffic will have limited access until the paving starts which would currently be anticipated to be around Tuesday (August 12th) next week.

Asphalt Delay - August 1st

The contractor has a problem with the asphalt producing equipment at his plant which is delaying the placement of asphalt in the first area of work from Vista Drive to Northwestern Drive.  They are currently planning to be back in operation by Monday, August 4th.

In the Vista Drive to Northwestern area the first layer of asphalt has been placed and has cured.  As such the City is going to open up that stretch of road from Friday through the weekend; however, the section will close again early Monday, August 4, 2014 in the morning (estimated to be around 5:30-6AM).

The road will be closed on Monday, August 4, 2014 until they are done paving with the exception of emergency room traffic to Buena Vista Regional Medical Center which will still have access from the west at the intersection of Vista Drive and West 5th Street.

The section of road from Northwestern to Vestal Street will remain closed over the weekend and through next week to allow for construction and reduce traffic on the milled surface.  Local residents can access their driveways in this section by entering at Barton Street from the south or the north.

Moving East

Work continues and the crew will start moving east today moving into the area between Northwestern Drive and Vestal Street for the removal of the existing layers of asphalt in that area.

While that removal process is taking place the contractor will continue with the placement of asphalt on the section from Vista Drive to Northwestern Drive today (July 31, 2014).  This "lift" of asphalt will be the second and final lift for this section of road and once the lift has cured the road will re-open to through traffic.

Placing asphalt on West 5th Street

Residents who live in the stretch of West 5th Street from Northwestern to Vestal Street will have limited access to their properties during the first part of the closure via either north or south intersection of Barton Street and West 5th Street.  This access is local access only.

The City is stressing caution when traveling in the area as the road will be rough following removal and there will be sections of the road that are closed off with cones for patching and to protect less stable areas prior to paving.  Again access is for local access only.

Once paving of this section begins the road will be closed to all traffic while the paving is taking place.  The paving portion of the project will take place over a period of two to three days and will be at the end of the closure period.  Please stay tuned to this blog for more updates.

Immediate Closures - Stage A Vista Drive to Northwestern

As crews were in the process of removing asphalt in Stage A between Vista Drive and Northwestern they encountered some sub-base that was not suitable to driving prior to the reapplication of asphalt.  The City along with the project engineer made the decision to close West 5th Street from Vista Drive to Northwestern Drive to all thru traffic.

Local Traffic - citizens who live in the closure area and EMERGENCY traffic to BVRMC will be allowed continued access to the area via the west side at the intersection of Vista Drive and West 5th Street.

This decision will allow us to save time and money in the project.  Continued traffic over a portion of this deteriorating sub-base would result in additional patching of large areas and a delay in the closure of this portion of the road of several days.  By reducing traffic and keeping the road clear the hope is that we can avoid the additional patching and get the asphalt placed yet this week.  This was of course pending the rest of the removals in this stage and determination of any additional patching.

Section of the road where the sub-base is not suitable to continued driving.

Pending further determination of the need to do patching on the area in Stage A the city hopes that the contractor can start placing asphalt back on this stage around the Wednesday / Thursday time frame.

While crews are working in the area and work equipment is moving in and out of the work zone flaggers will be posted at either end of the zone.  The flaggers will provide access as needed to the ER at BVRMC while on site.  Signage and access will be provided to the ER and residential homes during the late evening hours and when crews are not working; however, all entry and exit from the work area should occur at the intersection of Vista Drive and West 5th Street on the projects far west side.

Stage C Closures for Thursday, July 24th

Work continues in Stage 3 (East of the RR Tracks) with the curb and gutter replacement and sidewalk replacement.  Crews will be moving east and working on the intersection of West 5th Street and Michigan Street starting tomorrow (Thursday, July 24, 2014).  To facilitate this West 5th Street will be closed  at the Michigan Street intersection as shown in the following picture.

Michigan Street Closure Map

The City apologizes for the short notice.

Project Update - Road Closure Updates

While work has continued moving forward the work currently underway is mostly centered on the area east of the railroad tracks toward the downtown area where crews are finishing up curb and gutter repair, sidewalk upgrades, and some storm water work.  Hopefully the majority of these closing will be reopened within the next 4-8 working days (about a week to week and a half).

Meanwhile the prime contractor who will be removing the old asphalt and putting down the new lifts is starting to get ready to move in to Storm Lake for that phase of the work which will start again at the far west end of the project area in Stage A - west of Northwestern and 5th Street intersection.  The process of removal could start as early as Thursday, July 24, 2014.  Stage A is shown in the graphic below:

Stage A - Milling Schedule

During the removal process the road will be open but movement of traffic will be slow.  Following removal the project engineer will review the sub-base of the road and determine if there is any need for patching which will be completed prior to the actual final paving of the road.  The road will be uneven and rough following removal and drivers should SLOW DOWN and use CAUTION.

The patching process may require areas where the road will be closed and/or one lane traffic for a few days while the repairs are made and the concrete cures.

During the ENTIRE removal process and immediately after (until the final pavement is placed) CITIZENS ARE ASKED TO REDUCE SPEEDS AND TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS - including using alternative routes if possible when traveling in the construction area.  You should EXPECT DELAYS during these phases if traveling on West 5th Street.

As close to the removal as possible (pending the number of patches that are required) the asphalt paving crew will be back to pave the road.  During the paving process they will have the road closed to all traffic and traffic control will be present to reroute traffic.

Stock Photo - courtsey of Michiganpaving.com

Once they complete the removals in Stage A they will move to Stage B (originally the plan called for them to move to Stage C), which is the area east of the Northwestern and 5th intersection east to the railroad tracks.

Michigan Street Closure Notice

My apologizes for the short notice but we just got notice that the north part of Michigan Street at the intersection of West 5th Street and Michigan will be closed to allow the contractor on the project to install storm water piping and intakes.  Below is a graphic showing the closure area.

Michigan Street Closure Area

Please note that during this closure West 5th Street will remain open for east/west traffic but drivers are strongly urged to use caution and reduce speeds when traveling in the area for the safety of the construction crews.

The closure is anticipated to last approximately two weeks (on or about July 25th) depending on the weather conditions.

Work continues on the sidewalk and approaches in other areas of the project mostly east of the railroad tracks at this time.  We are working with the contractor on an updated schedule for the actual milling and resurfacing of the road which will be posted to the blog once we have that information.

MOVING TO STAGE C – ROAD CLOSURES INCLUDED

The contractor is wrapping up the sidewalk and curb and gutter work in Stage B and will begin Stage C on Wednesday, July 9^th.  The work in Stage C WILL REQUIRE STREET CLOSURES which will start on Wednesday, July 9^th.

Below is a map of the immediate closure area.

 

Crews will begin removals in this area on Wednesday, July 9^th.  Residents and Businesses will have access to their property during the construction.  The contractor will attempt to minimize the disturbance to the adjacent property owners, however, a few parking stalls may be inaccessible during this section of work.  Sidewalk ramps at this intersection will also be closed for this construction.

Traffic on West 5th Street continues to be a safety concern for the construction crews and citizens are encouraged and reminded to reduce speed in the project work zone area. Work will progress easterly as construction in Stage C continues with additional street closures as needed.   Please check back here for future updates.

Project Moves East Toward the RR Tracks - UPDATED STREET CLOSINGS

While crews have been working on sidewalks east of the currently closed section (Northwestern to Barton Streets) they will continue to move East completing sidewalk and curb and gutter replacement in the area from Barton to the Railroad Tracks over the next couple of weeks.

Traffic on West 5th Street continues to be a safety concern for the construction crews and citizens are encouraged and reminded to reduce speed in the project work zone area.  To help ensure a safe work environment the City will be closing additional portions of West 5th Street to through traffic while construction is taking place.  Here is a more detailed plan and timeline (weather depending):

Beginning on Friday, June 20th - West 5th Street from Barton to Vestal will be closed to through traffic.  We anticipate that this closure will last until June 27th.  The road will be closed during working hours only and re-opened for traffic overnight.  Residents will be able to access driveways along West 5th Street by entering West 5th Street from the intersection of Early Street during the closure period.  The road will be closed generally from 6:30AM to 8PM while work is being conducted.

Following the completion of work between Barton and Vestal Streets (estimated to be on or around June 27th) work will shift east and crews will close West 5th Street from the intersection of Grand Ave (western portion) to College Street.  Again this area will be closed during working hours only.  Access to driveways within this area will be limited during the working hours.  Access should be available after working hours for this section as well.

Here is a map showing the closure areas:

This section of the project has a lot more curb and gutter replacement which will require that crews and equipment will be into the street area more frequently and also to ensure the safety of work crews.

The City and the contractor appreciate the cooperation of the community and residents in this area during this time.

The commitment remains to have the entire stretch of West 5th Street open for the 4th of July weekend.

Following the 4th of July weekend the City will then close down a portion of West 5th Street east of the railroad tracks to facilitate the reconstruction of sidewalks and approaches in that area.  More information on this section will be forthcoming prior to the 4th of July so check back with our blog for those updates.

Progress Continues in Stage B

Work in Stage B moves forward and the section of road from Northwestern to Barton should be re-opened soon potentially by the weekend (June 21st).

Crews were working in that area to replace storm water piping and manholes that were in the driving portion of the road.  The majority of that work is now complete.

New manhole being installed

Shown above is a new manhole that was installed and crews installing the new piping into the manhole.  The manholes and piping that were removed were in fairly good shape for their age but the new stuff will ensure adequate performance moving forward.  The older manhole in this section was made of brick and is shown below.

Old manhole made from bricks

While the work on the storm water stuff was going on the crews were also working on sidewalks in the area to ensure that they meet ADA standards now in place.  Below are a few pictures of the work being done on sidewalks in this area.

Pouring an intersection of sidewalk

The two major parts of the new ADA requirements deal with the slope of the sidewalk and the notification domes at the intersections to the road.  Below one of the staff from Smith Concrete works on placement of the dome sections along West 5th Street.

Installing the dome panels

That's it for this post but check back soon as we will be adding some updated information on traffic closures as the project moves east down West 5th Street.

Work Continues in Stage B

Sub-contractors continue to work on the removals of sidewalks and curb and gutter in Stage B of the project.  Here are a couple of pictures from the work this week and last week on the sidewalk work going on:

Crews are lining up the alignment for the new approach

Forms are in place ready for new concrete to be poured

New removals have been done along West 5th Street

Crews are also working on the removal and replacement of storm water piping along the project route.  This work is the main reason for the road closure as crews have complete sections of the road removed as they install piping across the street.  In the upcoming days they will pour pack the removed portion of the street.

New storm water piping is being installed

Once the piping is in place and the pavement replaced on top this section of road will be reopened to traffic until it is time for the asphalt milling and resurfacing phase of the project to begin.

Moving to Stage B - ROAD CLOSURES Included

The contractor is wrapping up work on Stage A of the West 5th Street project, the preliminary work on the sidewalks and curb and gutters and will be moving into Stage B.  This part of the work in Stage B WILL REQUIRE STREET CLOSURES which will start temporarily on Friday, May 30th and full time on Monday June 2nd.

Here is an image of the closures for a larger version of the map please click here.

Crews will begin with sawing the areas of removals on Friday, May 30th.  During this time the area will closed to traffic but will reopen at the end of the work and through the weekend.  Then on Monday, June 2nd the street will close again starting at Barton Street and going west to Northwestern to allow crews to remove portions of the street and replace underground piping.

Residents in the area will have limited access to their driveways during the closure period as work progresses.  The City and the project engineer will attempt to provide advance notification when access to individual driveways will be cut off as this could be different for various individuals based on the construction progress and work conditions.  Additionally, notice will be provided here on the project blog.

Also during this time work will continue on the removal and replacement of curb and gutter and sidewalks in Stage B of the project area.  This will require that portions of the sidewalks are closed during this time.

Project Phasing

Work is underway and the sub-contractor is starting the removal of curb and gutter and sidewalk pieces on the south side of West 5th Street in Stage A.  Here is a drawing showing the three project stages:

Project Staging Drawing - More detailed version is available on project web page.

As the contractor removes the sidewalk and curb and gutter sections they will be starting the replacement of the areas.  Hopefully, weather depending, the closures will be limited to about one week per section.  

Some notes regarding the staging plan:

Stage A

• Currently there are no "street" closures anticipated in this stage; however, it would be appreciated if drivers use alternative routes.  
• Expected completion dates is around the week of May 27th weather permitting
• When driving in this area please use caution and reduce speeds

Stage B

• This area will have more extensive construction work and will take longer to complete
• Work in this area will include some storm water piping and manhole replacements
• Due to the storm water work and underground piping work West 5th Street will be closed during this phase which is anticipated to start around May 28th and last for about three (3) weeks - PLEASE CHECK BACK HERE FOR FURTHER UPDATES

Stage C

• At this time we don't have a good schedule for Stage C which will depend on the progress of both Stage A and B

Some General Reminders:

PLEASE USE CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING IN THE CONSTRUCTION AREA!!

Pedestrians will be most effected by this early work with the temporary closure of sidewalks (primarily approaches) along the route.  Signs should be posted for sidewalk closures - please use alternative routes during the closure process.

Once Stage B work starts street closures will be in place - make sure to check back here on the blog for the latest information and the most timely information.  You can also get information and notices about updates to the blog from our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cityofstormlake) and our Twitter account (@Storm_Lake).

Construction Starts Today & Schedule Update

Remember that works starts today on the West 5th Street Project with the sawing and removal of portions of curb and gutter and sidewalks.  This work will cause some temporary slowing of traffic and potential for one lane of traffic at times.  If you have to use West 5th Street for travel we encourage you to reduce speeds be extra alert and allow for extra time to reach your destination.

We'll be updating the blog on a more regular basis now that work has begun and try to include some pictures as we move forward.  There will be some times when sections of West 5th Street will be closed and those updates will be released through this blog and on our Facebook (www.facebook.com/cityofstormlake) and Twitter (@Storm_Lake) accounts.  If you haven't "liked" us on Facebook or "followed" us on Twitter we would encourage you to do so.

Crews were out late last week and on Saturday sawing curb and gutter and sidewalk areas.

Contractors working on sawing areas of curb and gutter and sidewalks to be removed.

PROJECT SCHEDULE
I also want to take a minute to clarify some confusion on the schedule for the project.  It was reported last week locally that the project will be complete by the 4th of July, this is not the case.  The project specifications call for and require the contractor to have the street in a smooth driving condition for the 4th of July.  It is most likely that the asphalt milling and resurfacing phase of the work will not start until AFTER the 4th of July so that they can comply with the specifications of the project documents.

The City apologizes for the error and we'll continue to provide real time updates here on our project blog.

Time to Get the Party Started!

It's about time to get this project rolling and within the next two weeks we should start to see construction happening along West 5th Street in Storm Lake!

There are TRAFFIC WARNINGS within this update - see below for more information.

On April 30th the City held a pre-construction meeting with the contractor, sub-contractors, utilities, and representatives of the major facilities along the route (BVRMC, BVU, and the School District) to go over the project scope and timeline.

West 5th Street Pre-Construction Meeting

During that meeting the contractor indicated that work would begin with the sub-contractor as early as May 19.  The initial work will include work on sawing out and replacing areas in the street that need full depth patching.  These are areas that were identified by the project engineer during project development.  Also included in this phase will be the removal and replacement of sections of curb and gutter along the route and the start of work on sidewalks.

Sidewalks are included with the project as part of the new regulations from the State of Iowa for projects funded in part with federal dollars.  The goal is to bring the sidewalks in compliance with the new American Disability Act regulations for sidewalk standards.  These upgrades will include new approaches with the ADA raised or truncated domes and slope adjustments.

There are TRAFFIC WARNINGS with this initial phase of work.  As the sub-contractor removes and replaces the patches in the street along with curb and gutter there will be sections of West 5th Street that will be limited to one lane traffic and subject to delays.  The contractor has agreed to try and facilitate work outside of the prime busy times during the day (early morning and then again around 5:00pm).

Anyone traveling in the area during the construction time needs to be alert for construction crews working and slow their speeds to ensure safety for the construction workers as well as pedestrians and drivers.  If there is an alternative route that can be taken the City would request that citizens use that alternative route and leave West 5th Street to local traffic and construction crews.  Proper advance notification signage will be in place during the construction times.

More to come as the work gets started.  Please remember that the best way to find out about updates on this project is to follow us on this blog and the project web page.  You can get blog posting updates by clicking "Like" on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cityofstormlake and by "Following" the City of Storm Lake on Twitter (@Storm_Lake).

Construction Coming Soon

We have a contractor for the West 5th Street Overlay project, Blacktop Services of Humboldt, Iowa will be the contractor on the project!

The project is not slated to begin until after school is out for the summer so we have some time yet before trucks will be moving in but knowing who the contractor is and what the bid amount for the project is going to be are big steps toward actual construction happening!

Residents and visitors should note that due to West 5th Street being a major corridor through town this project will be disrupting traffic flows throughout the summer.  We recommend that citizens and visitors book mark the project page and stay in touch with the project blog for continual updates on the project status.  We will also be tweeting out when we do an update on the City's Twitter account @Storm_Lake and will be posting notices on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cityofstormlake).  We encourage you to follow us on Twitter and like out page on Facebook for updates on this project and other things happening within the City.

The next big step will be a pre-construction meeting with the contractor in which we'll get further details on schedule and we'll have discussion on the all the potential conflicts that we have to work around for this project.  Stay tuned here for more updates!