Construction on the Washington Street streetscape improvements has been postponed until 2024. The design of improvements to the area has been “more challenging than initially anticipated,” according to a memo from Director of Transportation, Engineering and Development Bill Novack.
Original Washington Street plans
The plan had initially been to do some utility and streetscape work on a stretch of the road from Chicago Avenue to Benton Avenue while Washington Street Bridge traffic is currently reduced to one lane in each direction for work on the bridge.
The project involves replacing the water main on Washington St., however, a series of issues surrounding the new water main arose. The city had to change its plans due to the proximity of an AT&T duct bank.
“We’ve got to be certain of what is where before we design it,” said Novak. “We don’t have as much flexibility of where we can relocate the (water main) to.”
Staff also has concerns about placing the new water main too close to the old one. They want to avoid a blowout of the water main, an issue that occurred last summer in the Jefferson St. construction zone.
“We’re concerned if we get too close to the existing water main it may fail, said Novak. “What holds it in place is all the pressure from the adjacent soil. So if we get within five feet of it, we start to get concerned the water main may spring a leak like the one on Jefferson did.”
Washington Street moving forward
The city’s new plan is to bid the project in October or November 2023 and begin construction in late February or early March 2024.
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