The weather has cleared for the day and with that we will be closing the intersection of College and S. 8th Avenue. However, it will be open throughout the weekend.

It is still scheduled to be closed again starting Tuesday, May 29th through Friday, June 1st, weather permitting.

With the recent wet weather and the continued weather outlook for the remainder of the week it looks like construction will be slowed significantly as the clay material that exists throughout the project becomes unworkable with moisture. However, you may still see us working out there this week performing spot repairs to the existing storm line that runs north and south through the project as well as beginning the new storm drainage installation just south of the College Street and S. 8^th Avenue Intersection.

As you have probably noticed College Street has been closed intermittently as we have been keeping the East / West access along College Street through the S. 8^th Avenue intersection open as much as possible to minimize inconvenience. It is currently open and will remain open until the weather clears and we can put together a couple of sunny dry days to get it excavated and place gravel. Based on the current weather forecast it appears that we will be closing it back down starting on Tuesday, May 29^th through Friday, June 1^st. These dates are weather dependent and may be revised.

We have also been noticing that some people are not observing the road closures and have been driving to the closure barricades and then turning around on private property or driving up on the boulevards to turn around. We ask that you please be respectful of the road closure signs, follow the detours that are in-place and stay off of the landscaped boulevards.

More updates will follow as the weather clears.

S. 8th Aveneue Road Closure Plans - Phase 1 and 2

South 8^th Avenue – Construction Set to Begin

Weather permitting, Knife River – Belgrade will start the re-construction of S. 8^th Avenue on May 14^th, 2012. The project will extend from Harrison Street to Main Street and will involve a complete re-construction.

Highlights of the project include:

• New roadway gravel sections
• New curb and gutter
• New asphalt surfacing
• Sidewalk repairs
• New Pedestrian Ramps at all intersections
• New Colored Concrete Crosswalks
• Storm Drainage Improvements
• Bicycle lanes

The project will be broken into two phases: Harrison Street to Koch Street and Koch Street to Main Street. The first phase of the project will be between Harrison and Koch and the second phase will be between Koch and Main. We will be starting the first phase on Monday, May 14th, 2012 and anticipate to be completed around the middle of July 2012. The second phase is anticipated to be completed around the middle of October 2012. Working hours on the project will generally be from 7:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday. Weekend work is not currently scheduled but may be required.

Throughout construction road closures and detours will be in place. Road closure plans will be posted to our project website (http://www.s8threconstruct.blogspot.com/) for both phases of the project. Local access will be maintained as much as possible through the closures. However, there will be times where your driveway access is interrupted for continuous periods of time. Local access will be maintained continuously within one block of your residence. When in doubt don’t hesitate to ask one of our employees to speak to the Foreman or Superintendent on-site if you have immediate questions or concerns regarding access during construction. On street parking inside the road closures will not be allowed at any time. 

We ask for your patience as this project will present some inconveniences but Knife River will make every effort to make this project proceed as smoothly and efficiently as possible. We also request that residents be mindful of heavy construction equipment and trucks entering and exiting the project corridor.

Please feel free to call Knife River at 406-388-6832 with any questions or concerns that you may have. We have a website setup for the project that you can visit that will have weekly project updates. http://www.s8threconstruct.blogspot.com/