MONROE - With a month left before construction begins along 8th Street in Monroe, 28 people gathered at the Westside Fire Station on Wednesday to hear Fehr Graham Project Engineer Jesse Duff explain the process and to voice their concerns regarding a lack of traffic flow past their businesses.
Reconstruction of several blocks will start March 27. Over seven months, workers will tear up pavement from the stoplights on 6th Avenue West near Walmart and down the hill to 8th Street and then on 8th Street to Wisconsin 69. Street lights are set to be updated from timed switches to intuitive changes. The curb joining 4th Avenue West and 8th Street will be elongated to accommodate semi truck traffic. Islands of landscaping will be installed from the 1st Avenue intersection continuing west at the traffic signals in order to reduce the use of pavement. Turn lanes will also be widened.
Duff said a main priority is to encourage local use of side streets during construction but to also ensure people less familiar with the city are able to continue to use the main roads.
"Our goal is to keep one lane of traffic open at all times," Duff said.
Director of Public Works Al Gerber said that does not necessarily mean one lane on each side. At least four different traffic switches will occur. Work will be done in shifts. At certain points, two lanes to one side of the median will be open while no traffic flows on the other.
While the surface of the street is redone, there will also be work below. With the large overhaul of a number of city blocks, the city also plans to replace all 6-inch water main with 10-inch pipes from Wis. 69 to 1st Avenue. In fact, a driving force behind the length of the project, set to be finished in October, is the work being done underneath the street. The storm sewer network below the street is also set to be replaced.
Duff said as a way to accommodate businesses in the area, a goal of project workers is to maintain two-way traffic as much as possible. Construction will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Business signage has been added to the plans to ensure customers know how to reach each building. Fehr Graham plans to send weekly updates via email to all interested parties, and the contractor is required to hold monthly meetings for the public to discuss problems that may arise.
Cara Carper, executive director of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, has planned to aid area businesses during the busy summer construction months. Workshops have been scheduled for March 15, one from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and the other from 5 to 6:30 p.m., as a way to help. Discussions will surround "how to survive and thrive during construction" for businesses and "get businesses to work together," Carper said. Workshops will be held at First National Bank.
Duff answered questions about the traffic on side streets and its possible negative affects when being used by more drivers, especially semis. Specifically, how the city plans to manage visibility issues that already exist when large trucks park on the side of streets.
"We just can't have trucks parking there for long periods of time," Duff said.
He added that the project workers are consulting with the Monroe Police Department to ensure related traffic laws are enforced.
Fehr Graham Project Leader Ken Plowman encouraged all business owners to contact him with any issues. In response to concerns about losing internet or phone connections, Duff said he could not guarantee all services would remain in place, but that planners have fulfilled their due diligence. Plowman said open lines of communication were essential between workers and each business.
"The more that you can call me and I can deal with it on-site, the better," Plowman said.
Reconstruction of several blocks will start March 27. Over seven months, workers will tear up pavement from the stoplights on 6th Avenue West near Walmart and down the hill to 8th Street and then on 8th Street to Wisconsin 69. Street lights are set to be updated from timed switches to intuitive changes. The curb joining 4th Avenue West and 8th Street will be elongated to accommodate semi truck traffic. Islands of landscaping will be installed from the 1st Avenue intersection continuing west at the traffic signals in order to reduce the use of pavement. Turn lanes will also be widened.
Duff said a main priority is to encourage local use of side streets during construction but to also ensure people less familiar with the city are able to continue to use the main roads.
"Our goal is to keep one lane of traffic open at all times," Duff said.
Director of Public Works Al Gerber said that does not necessarily mean one lane on each side. At least four different traffic switches will occur. Work will be done in shifts. At certain points, two lanes to one side of the median will be open while no traffic flows on the other.
While the surface of the street is redone, there will also be work below. With the large overhaul of a number of city blocks, the city also plans to replace all 6-inch water main with 10-inch pipes from Wis. 69 to 1st Avenue. In fact, a driving force behind the length of the project, set to be finished in October, is the work being done underneath the street. The storm sewer network below the street is also set to be replaced.
Duff said as a way to accommodate businesses in the area, a goal of project workers is to maintain two-way traffic as much as possible. Construction will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Business signage has been added to the plans to ensure customers know how to reach each building. Fehr Graham plans to send weekly updates via email to all interested parties, and the contractor is required to hold monthly meetings for the public to discuss problems that may arise.
Cara Carper, executive director of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, has planned to aid area businesses during the busy summer construction months. Workshops have been scheduled for March 15, one from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and the other from 5 to 6:30 p.m., as a way to help. Discussions will surround "how to survive and thrive during construction" for businesses and "get businesses to work together," Carper said. Workshops will be held at First National Bank.
Duff answered questions about the traffic on side streets and its possible negative affects when being used by more drivers, especially semis. Specifically, how the city plans to manage visibility issues that already exist when large trucks park on the side of streets.
"We just can't have trucks parking there for long periods of time," Duff said.
He added that the project workers are consulting with the Monroe Police Department to ensure related traffic laws are enforced.
Fehr Graham Project Leader Ken Plowman encouraged all business owners to contact him with any issues. In response to concerns about losing internet or phone connections, Duff said he could not guarantee all services would remain in place, but that planners have fulfilled their due diligence. Plowman said open lines of communication were essential between workers and each business.
"The more that you can call me and I can deal with it on-site, the better," Plowman said.