The paving on the first part of the improvements to Business 50 in Apache Flats project has been completed.
With the new pavement in place, Cole County Public Works officials said they'll use temporary markings or cones to direct traffic.
"Our plan at this point is to have a two-lane road without a center turn lane until the contractor (Don Schnieders Excavating) is completely finished with the first phase of the project," county engineer Eric Landwehr said. "The reason for this is to allow for construction equipment to be parked along the side of the road until all the work is complete. Things such as sidewalk and finish grading will still be worked for the next few weeks."
Next week, second phase work will start around the area of the House of Bargains. Crews will be milling the old pavement and starting to remove the westbound lane. Two-way traffic will be in place next week.
The following week, June 9-13, Business 50 will be closed between Broadway Wrecker and House of Bargains.
Two box culverts have to be built, and Landwehr said they will be built simultaneously in order to keep the closure time to a minimum.
"This is very similar to the box culvert that was constructed very early in the project on the far east end," he said. "It is difficult to do this under traffic, thus making closure the best option. Businesses and residents between the two locations will use Pioneer Trail Drive as a detour. Detour signing will be put up and the message boards will be used."
The week of June 16, Pioneer Trail Drive will be closed to allow the construction of the street connection and the new traffic signal.
"At this time, we do not know how long this intersection will be closed," Landwehr said. "We anticipate the closure to last most of the summer with opening before school starts back up in August. Depending on scheduling, it may be able to be opened earlier."
Landwehr said the project is still ahead of schedule by about two to three weeks.
"To stay ahead of schedule we need to keep using a changing work zone to maximize production," he said. "This is a large project with scheduling all the way to the end of the year. As we get into the late fall, good weather working days will be hard to come by, so it is imperative that we stay ahead of schedule to avoid possible delays later in the project. The only way to accomplish this is to keep doing what we are doing, and we need continued cooperation from the travelling public, property owners and businesses along the project."
Landwehr said they have had some expected complaints about access and rough road conditions, but Schnieders has worked to correct issues that come up.
"We are going to do a traffic control review as this first phase wraps up to see if we need to make any adjustments for the next phases," he said. "We ask the public to please be patient as we work through your area and remember that the contractor is making an extra effort to keep two lanes open as much as possible. The alternative is closing the road and detouring traffic everywhere, thus limiting access."