||| FROM ERIN WYGANT for SJC PUBLIC WORKS |||
Progress Update: This week the crews worked Tuesday through Friday since there was no work on the Monday, July 4th holiday. Supply chain and ferry service continue to be difficult obstacles to the work flow but in spite of all of that, the crews managed to keep the project on schedule to meet our paving date for the week beginning July 18th. The crews may need to work overtime (Friday July 16) to ensure that the job is ready for pavement.
The following is the work planned for the week of July 11 through July 16:
Asphalt Pavement Preparation: Since asphalt paving remains scheduled for the week of July 18 it is important to remember that a significant amount of work still remains to be completed that includes grade prep., compaction testing, cement concrete pavement, and the concrete work that needs to be completed prior to paving.
Driveway Access: As soon as the paving is done the next steps are to install brick pavers on the driveway entrances. The paver crews will start from the Main St. Intersection and work to the North. As each driveway’s pavers are installed (after paving) we can then open those driveways up to vehicle access. For now, driveway access will remain limited.
Prune Alley Intersections: Beginning at the Fern St. /Prune Alley intersection, and the intersections at A Street, Rose Street and North Beach Rd. /School Rd., each intersection is designed to have concrete bands and brick pavers installed. This work is aesthetic and precise and requires manual labor. Each of those intersections will continue to be closed until the concrete bands and brick pavers are installed. After those intersections get built, the intention is to open them up to vehicular traffic.
The entire project includes numerous structural, architectural, and aesthetic details (including brick pavers) that will continue through the month of August. As always, the construction team will continually evaluate and open areas of the work site as soon as it is safe to do so.
Traffic Update: The critical part of this week’s work plan requires placing a significant amount of concrete intersection ramps. Depending on how much concrete can be delivered, there could also be open concrete forms which are a potential hazard to the public (especially in the dark) and consequently it will not be safe to open these areas to the public. Appropriate traffic control devices will be in place to close off areas of the work site which are not safe and to delineate safe pedestrian access routes approved by the Contractor’s certified traffic control supervisor. See attached traffic control map for anticipated available access routes.
Sat. July 9 and Sunday July 10 the intersection at North Beach Road will be open to traffic, however the entirety of Prune Alley will remain closed to all motorized vehicles. Pedestrian access will be limited to designated pedestrian access routes only. Designated pedestrian access routes will be marked by approved traffic control devices.
Monday, July 11-Friday, July 15. From Main Street northward, the entire length of Prune Alley and all intersections within that zone will be closed to vehicular traffic. Those intersections are: Fern St., A St., Rose St. and North Beach/School Rd. Pedestrian access is expected to remain limited. Work areas that become safe for public travel will be opened as soon as possible.
Please help keep our residents and visitors safe and injury-free by adhering to and protecting all approved traffic control devices.
As I suggested last week, opening up the intersection of North Beach Rd. and Prune Alley should receive top priority, for example by beginning installation of pavers and finishing any remaining concrete work there first. That will allow traffic from the north to flow through that intersection to Madrona and North Beach Roads and take the excessive pressure off of Main Street, as now happens only on weekends.
This is called Good Project Management, which takes into account the needs of the suffering public.
Right on, Michael Riordan – I agree 100% with your comment. Did the PW engineers even try to prioritize opening up the north intersection to town over a MONTH ago? There is no way in from the North. Instead, we got massive potholes, car damage, dust, added expense to us all, and terrible traffic gridlock.
Opening up the North Beach Road and Prune Alley intersection should have been a top priority. It also would have helped relations with the citizenry. With gas at $6 a gallon and climbing, the added mileage and wear and tear on our vehicles of driving around town (while they decided to add insult to injury by chip sealing Lovers Lane and Mt. Baker Road!), plus the dismal reality for all the business owners on Prune Alley and the rest of town that have had to endure poor communication and months of their parking lots being closed and no car access to their businesses, what compensation is going to be offered to the business owners. Where is the Economic Growth & Development Dept on making financial reparations to impacted businesses? Time to get those grant applications in for recompensation to those businesses most impacted.
Due to the absolute HAZARD of actual brick for pedestrians (slippery when wet, deadly slippery in ice and snow). I thought Public Works was going to actually listen to those of us who warned about the hazards of using actual brick, and use colored concrete formed to resemble brick, not actual brick. How distressing to read that they are going ahead with the brick! There will be lawsuits as people fall and injure themselves. This all could have been prevented if they’d listened to us – but no.. Who will regularly clean and maintain all of that brick; de-ice it, shovel the snow from it, keep it free from getting slippery?
Who is this project actually for? Because from where I sit, it looks like it’s for the engineers who design them.
So glad I experienced Orcas when it was a happy, cohesive, sometimes exciting community, because it is now the domain of the Realtors and Tourists.
Realtors should be removed from any community development boards due to their conflict of interest.
Engineers, potholes, 6 dollar gas, chip seal, compensation, bricks, ice, lawsuits, shoveling snow, engineers. OMG. Get over it. It’s gonna look great when it’s done. How about subsidized, cost control, tax breaks, take but no give, and never ending opinions. Tax paying, property and business owning people want this. It’s good for our community, our tax paying, property and business owning community.