Construction worker Louis Ballesteroz gets down into the trench being cut on Front Street for the beginning of Phase II of the Wrangell Roads and Utility Improvement project. Work is scheduled to continue as long as good weather holds in the borough.
Weather could be the most important factor facing work crews as the Wrangell Road Improvements project moves forward over the next few weeks.
During the meeting, project engineer Eric Voorhees said the Nov. 18 deadline to finish all work for the 2011 season was pushed back to Nov. 23 – thanks mostly to better weather expected over the course of the coming two weeks.
“The biggest factor right now is the weather,” Voorhees said. “If we have good weather, we can move ahead very quickly. I think the most recent schedule from McGraw Construction shows we’ll have most of the major work we need to finish completed in the next few weeks.”
Voorhees also added that most of the major work in the beginning portion of Phase II should be complete by Thanksgiving.
Unlike most of the roadway crews have been encountering on Front Street, project foreman Mitch McGraw said the Nov. 23 shutdown date is not set in stone.
“November 23 is our scheduled shutdown right now, but if it is 50 degrees outside and warm, we don’t plan on stopping,” McGraw said.
Over the past few weeks, crews have completed all domestic and fire line water connections, as well as having Southeast Concrete pour all the curb and gutters required in Phase I. The preparation of the roadway from the City Dock and Stikine Inn to the end of the primary phase has been completed with a water main from Campbell Drive to McKinnon Street also being installed.
Voorhees added that paving the roadway to the end of Phase I with concrete should be completed by this week.
“We have nearly completed the sidewalk and roadway paving in the past week and the emphasis has been on the intersection of Federal Street and Front Street near the Stikine Inn,” Voorhees said. “We’re going to move on to other sections after that intersection is complete.”
Reiterating the point made by McGraw in the meeting, Voorhees said that more work will get done if Mother Nature complies.
“The winter shutdown is going to be dependent on the weather,” Voorhees added. “I think they might try to continue a little farther if we have warm temperatures. If we have snow on the ground the end might come a little sooner.”
The next meeting of the project team will be Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. in the Borough Assembly chambers.
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