Road Report: July 22, 2024

Construction season is here, so we’re back with our weekly look at what projects are done, where you’ll find traffic impacts and what’s scheduled next.

What’s underway

Minnesota Avenue: Work on the ADA accessibility improvements project along Minnesota Avenue between 18th and 33rd streets has transitioned from the east side of the street to the west side.

Crews are working on the west side of Minnesota between 18th and 26th streets. Work will progress south to 33rd Street over the next several weeks. Southbound traffic on Minnesota is reduced to one lane.

Northbound traffic on Minnesota has returned to two lanes. All work is expected to be complete in August.

Veterans Parkway: Lots of work is happening on South Veterans Parkway. All underground utility work — except for street lighting — is complete.

Crews are working on paving the roundabout at 95th Street and Western Avenue, and Western Avenue between the roundabout and Veterans Parkway.

The roundabout will reopen before school starts this fall, and Western Avenue south to Highway 106 will reopen later this fall.

On South Veterans Parkway, concrete paving work is mostly complete between Minnesota and Western avenues.

The contractor will be finishing up the concrete paving work between Minnesota and Cliff avenues over the next month or so.

All lanes on Minnesota are expected to reopen in late August. Streetlight and other electrical work is also in progress. Work will be completed later this fall.

Career Avenue: Career Avenue between Benson Road and 54th Street North closed July 17 to allow crews to work on installing utilities and constructing a new intersection. Traffic should use Louise Avenue as a detour route. This work is expected to be complete in mid-August.

Asphalt overlay program: Asphalt overlays are a street maintenance method that extends the life of an asphalt street at a fraction of the cost of reconstruction.

Here’s what to know about it:

• • An asphalt overlay generally consists of milling, or grinding, the top 2 inches of asphalt off a street and replacing it with a new 2-inch layer of asphalt.
  • The asphalt overlay provides a new wearing course at the surface of the street and improves the ride experienced by motorists.
  • Areas receiving an asphalt overlay often have curb and gutter repairs, spot utility repairs and accessible curb ramp improvements performed in advance of the overlay.
  • Streets generally remain open to traffic during concrete and utility work. However, during paving operations, streets will be closed and traffic detoured accordingly.

The overlay program is mostly focused on neighborhood streets, but major streets scheduled for an asphalt overlay this year include Sertoma Avenue between 26th and 41st streets, Ellis Road between 41st and 57th streets, Shirley Avenue between Louise Avenue and 41st Street, 57th Street between Louise and Oxbow avenues, 33rd Street between Cliff Avenue and Yeager Road, and 10th Street between Interstate 229 and Sycamore Avenue.

This year, the city will be milling and overlaying approximately 215 blocks of streets around the city. Here’s an interactive map showing current status.

What’s next

Shirley Avenue: Shirley Avenue will be closed from Shirley Place to 34th Street to allow crews to perform road maintenance work. This work is expected to be done by midweek.

85th Street: Beginning today, the inside westbound lane and inside eastbound left turn lane on 85th Street will be closed just west of Louise Avenue to allow crews to complete underground utility work. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.

Phillips Avenue: Beginning today, the northbound lane on Phillips Avenue will be closed between Ninth and 10th streets to allow crews to perform concrete repairs.  Traffic will be detoured to Dakota Avenue. Southbound traffic will not be impacted. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.

33rd Street: Beginning Tuesday, 33rd Street will be closed between Van Eps and Blauvelt avenues to allow crews to perform sanitary sewer repairs. Traffic will be detoured to 34th Street. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.

Minnesota Avenue: Beginning Tuesday, the outside northbound lane on Minnesota Avenue will be closed between 69th Street and St. Andrews Drive to allow crews to perform concrete repairs. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.