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).