Road Report: Week of Sept. 27

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

What’s done

Work on 10th Street and Phillips Avenue is complete.

Work at 69th Street and Sycamore Avenue is complete, meaning these sections have reopened to traffic: 69th from Bahnson to Sycamore avenues; Sycamore from 65th Street to the south; and 69th from Sycamore to the east.

Enjoy the new intersection!

What’s underway

Construction has started on a new segment of 49th Street from Western to West avenues. Work this year will include grading and the installation of water main and a storm drainage system. Construction traffic will be entering and exiting Western from the east at 49th. Work next year will consist of paving and landscaping work. Traffic on Western and West will not be impacted until then.

The southernmost driving lane and south sidewalk on 11th Street is closed between Summit and Duluth avenues to allow crews to complete sidewalk repairs. Work is anticipated to be completed this week.

Work continues on water main replacement on 41st Street between Valley View Road/Holbrook Avenue and Marion Road.

Starting early this week, the contractor plans to start installing the new pipe through the existing pipe using a method called pipe bursting. Pipe bursting is a method by which the existing pipe is opened and forced outward by a bursting tool.

A hydraulic or pneumatic expansion head — part of the bursting tool — is pulled through the existing pipeline, typically by using a cable and winch.

As the expansion head is pulled through the existing pipe, it pushes that pipe radially outward until it breaks apart, creating a space for the new pipe.

The bursting device also pulls the new pipeline behind it, immediately filling the void created by the old, burst pipe with the new pipe.

This year’s work is expected to be complete by mid- to late October. Work next year will occur between Sertoma Avenue and Valley View Road/Holbrook Avenue.

What’s next

Beginning on Tuesday, the inside westbound lane on 41st Street will be closed at Grand Slam Avenue to allow construction crews to perform concrete pavement repairs. As the work progresses, the lane closure will shift to the outside westbound lane. One lane of traffic will be maintained at all times during construction and will not affect eastbound traffic. Work is expected to take two weeks.