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The last time a representative from Welch/Comer Engineers appeared at a Millwood City Council meeting, autumn leaves – not snow – had begun to fall on the sidewalks along Argonne Road.
That was back in September, when city leaders heard a report about the design component of a $1.3 million upgrade to Argonne that would include pavement resurfacing, pedestrian improvements and new concrete intersections. Funds for the project came to the city through a grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
At the time, Matt Gillis of Welch/Comer described how a hike in the price of concrete, asphalt and fuel had escalated the overall cost of the work to $1.9 million.
On Monday night, Gillis returned to City Hall with a detailed presentation outlining a timetable for construction based on a design that now includes resurfacing from Frederick to South Riverway – instead of from Frederick to Buckeye – along with a new concrete intersection at Euclid and Empire.
The plan also incorporates a series of improvements to pedestrian features, specifically the renovation of existing sidewalks, addition of new sidewalks and wheelchair ramps – adhering to the Americans with Disabilities Act – at each intersection.
The scaled-down version of the project will get a boost from a $120,000 grant from the state Transportation Improvement Board expressly for pedestrian upgrades. Gillis said on Monday that Welch/Comer is still awaiting word on another grant that could add funds for sidewalk rehabilitation.
Gillis described how Welch/Comer divided the project into two parts – the first dealing with the WSDOT grant and extensive resurfacing of Argonne’s north and south lanes in which the existing roadway would be replaced with base rock and asphalt. The engineering firm, Gillis said, has completed 90 percent of the design work for this portion of the plan which, when finished, will be passed on to WSDOT for review.
Gillis said the project would likely go up for bid by late March or early April with construction planned from May through July.
Traffic will be limited to one lane, both ways, during the project. When the resurfacing is complete, the speed limit on Argonne will change from 35 to 25 mph.
The second component involves a series of pedestrian improvements including the construction of sidewalks where dirt pathways currently exist. The road resurfacing and pedestrian upgrades could be part of concurrent work if the contractor was the same, Gillis said. If the city winds up with two different companies winning bids, Gillis recommended delaying the pedestrian improvements – expected to take about one month – until August.
After hearing Gillis provide a pro/con presentation of day vs. night construction, the City Council decided in favor of having work crews on site after sundown.
“The primary reason is safety,” said Mork. “There is so much more traffic going down Argonne during the day. It will also take about two weeks off the job.”
Side streets will also be closed during construction to prevent clogs in traffic. Mork said provisions will be made to ensure emergency vehicles such as the trucks housed in the fire station near City Hall will be able to navigate efficiently.
Representatives from Welch/Comer met with the Millwood Better for Business group last week to discuss the impact of the project on local commerce. The engineering firm plans to distribute a newsletter every other week containing updates on the work as well as maps providing alternative routes.
“It will be important to let business owners know what’s going on at the time and what’s going to be happening the following week,” Gillis said.
Mork said the city will schedule an informational meeting for the public before the project begins.
“Communication will really be a key,” Mork said. “It’s going to be inconvenient for a while, but we’ll get through it.”
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By
Craig Howard
