Thursday, June 14, 2012

Northwest/Elm/Dupont Project Update

Last time we checked in with the project to add bike lanes and pedestrian enhancements to Northwest/Elm/Dupont corridor between Whatcom Creek and I-5, it was going out to bid (project page). Well, the bids came in and Colacurcio Brothers got the contract.

And work has begun!
They're starting on Dupont with new curbs and improved accessible sidewalk ramps. The intersections all had accessible ramps before, but maybe they weren't good enough?
At F St. and Dupont it looks like they're installing curb-bulbs -- and apparently are taking away the turn lanes on F. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I sure wish the project page had some information about it....
And in a recent blog post, the City let slip that the street is going to be resurfaced. There are certainly spots that need it.
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Update 6/17

Half of the curb-bulb curbs are in at the F St/Dupont St intersection, and now it does not look like they're taking nearly as much of the roadway. Maybe the turn lanes are staying?


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One aspect of the project I have to give Colacurico Brothers credit for is maintaining pedestrian access during construction. When they've removed sections of sidewalks, they've been really good about putting in temporary fill to help walkers through the area. And when they started pouring concrete this week, they set up temporary walking paths in the streets, set off with construction pylons. Like so:

It's a step in the right direction. Maybe in the future they'll move on to including pedestrian detour signage as well, just to ensure there's no confusion.

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