City launches its ambitious road construction project
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
If you drive the streets of Burlington, it’s no secret then that road construction season has arrived.
What will likely be four months of road work in the city got under way in earnest last week with the Milwaukee Avenue reconstruction project.
The work on the city’s busiest thoroughfare will be completed under traffic with lane restrictions and traffic pattern shifts, according to City Administrator Kevin Lahner.
While that project, which is expected to last into November, is the most impactful for drivers, residents and motorists throughout the city can expect a busier-than-normal road construction season lasting well into the fall and then continuing next construction season.
That’s because earlier this year the city ramped up its usual road repair schedule to take advantage of low interest rates and construction costs. In essence, according to Lahner, the City Council at his recommendation scrapped its previously observed five-year road improvement plan in favor of a more ambitious schedule that compresses what would normally be six years of work into a two-year time frame.
“The analysis showed that if we borrowed more now and completed more now, we could save a couple hundred thousand dollars compared to the old plan,” Lahner said.
Rather than borrow $1.5 million and apply $500,000 per year for the next three years to road repair, the city borrowed $3 million and will ramp up the schedule this year and next to nearly triple the amount of work done in a two-year period.
This year is the first of those two years with a 2012 project bid of $1.72 million awarded to Stark Asphalt of Milwaukee.
The greatest single portion of that bid is the work on Milwaukee Avenue from Congress Street to just north of Paul Street. It involves full concrete repaving as well as installation of new water, natural gas and sewer lines.
While that section of the road will be open during the entire project, Lahner said the biggest challenge for drivers will be paying attention to lane restrictions and lane shifts needed to accommodate the work.
“The lanes are very narrow, so they need to use caution,” he said. “The best approach is just try to be patient as much as possible. For those who live in that area, it’s a good idea to take an alternate route if possible.”
Lahner said the city has done its best to communicate with residents and business owners in the construction area to prepare them for the impact of the problem.
For now, the contractor plans weekly informational meetings with residents and business owners to keep them up to date on the project.
Because there is utility work involved, Lahner said the residents will be notified should their be any interruption in services, whether it’s water, sewer or natural gas.
“If there is an interruption, it’s going to be brief,” he predicted.
Lahner said the emphasis on public relations was a result of the backlash the state Department of Transportation received in each of the previous two years for projects on South Pine Street and West Chestnut Street that caught residents and drivers off guard.
“People deal with it better when they know it’s coming,” he said.
Here’s a look at the other road repair projects scheduled for this year:
Highridge Road – entire length; asphalt repaving; Aug. 20-October.
Kendall Street – from West Chestnut Street to North Pine Street; asphalt repaving; Aug. 20-October.
Dale Drive – entire length; asphalt repaving; Sept. 10-October.
Dunford Drive – entire length; asphalt repaving; Sept. 10-October.
Echo Drove – from Paul Street to Monica Avenue; asphalt repaving, Sept. 17-November.
Foxtrail Circle – entire length; asphalt repaving; Sept. 17-November.
Industrial Drive – from South Kane Street to Brookview Avenue; asphalt repaving; Aug. 27-October.
South Kane Street – from Railroad to Industrial Drive; asphalt repaving; Aug. 27-October.
Robins Run – from Briody Street to the northerly dead end; asphalt repaving; Aug. 20-October.
Alley in Elm-Hurst Subdivision, bounded by North Maple Avenue, North Elmwood Avenue, Walnut Street and Summit Avenue; asphalt repaving; Aug. 20-October.
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