MUSCATINE, Iowa – Underground work was well underway this week in preparation for the construction of the roundabout at the 2nd Street and Mulberry Avenue intersection in Muscatine.
A detour went into effect Monday (Jan. 6) with Mulberry Avenue closed at the #1 Alley. The underground work will install a new sanitary sewer from the #1 Alley up to the manhole at the 3rd Street intersection. The intersection and Mulberry Avenue up to 3rd Street will be closed to traffic as work progresses north on Mulberry Avenue.
Truck traffic heading east on Mississippi Drive is currently detoured onto Iowa Avenue, to 5th Street, and down to Oak between returning to 2nd Street. The reverse will be in effect for truck traffic heading west (2nd Street to Oak to 5th Street to Iowa to Mississippi Drive).
Once the underground work in the street is complete, which is anticipated by Jan. 17 weather permitting, and a temporary pavement is installed, Mulberry Avenue and the intersection will be reopened to traffic. The detour will also be removed.
However, Heuer Construction will be doing additional work in the area that will not necessitate a street closure including the installation of a storm sewer and electrical duct bank in the southeast corner of the intersection. To ensure the safety of construction workers and the public, drivers are urged to find alternate routes when possible, use caution when traveling in or around the construction area, and pay attention to traffic control signs.
The contractor anticipates that the intersection and street will be closed for the construction of the roundabout in March with the detour put back into place. Completion of the roundabout is anticipated towards the end of April.
The $2.1 million project was awarded to Heuer Construction on August 15, 2019, but actual construction was delayed in order to keep the intersection open for Downtown Muscatine holiday shoppers.
The roundabout is the final segment of the Mississippi Drive Corridor Reconstruction Project and will complete the reconstruction of the roadway from Broadway to the Mad Creek bridge on 2nd Street.
Demolition of the former HNI building at 507 East 2nd Street is expected to begin next week. The City of Muscatine recently took possession of the building with Valley Construction awarded the $45,750 contract for the demolition and removal of the building. That contract was approved at the September 5, 2019, City Council meeting.
2ND STREET STREETSCAPE PROJECT
Bids for the two-year 2nd Street Streetscape Project will be opened at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, in Council Chambers of Muscatine City Hall. The winning bid for the estimated $3 million project will be presented to the Muscatine City Council at its February 5 meeting for approval. Work is anticipated to begin late Spring 2020, suspended for the holiday shopping season on October 2, 2020, be resumed in Spring 2021, and completed by October 2021.
The 2nd Street Streetscape Project includes sidewalks, roadway, utilities, and streetscape construction on 2nd Street from Pine Street to Mulberry Avenue. Most of the work will involve sidewalk replacement with most roadway and utility work in the second year of construction. A schedule of work will be established once the contract has been awarded and approved, and a pre-construction meeting held. It is expected that the work will be done in stages and a block at a time in order to maintain pedestrian access to businesses. The tentative schedule has the project beginning at Pine Street with work on one side of a block completed before moving to the other side of the block.
GRANDVIEW AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT
A public hearing on the Grandview Avenue Reconstruction Project will be held at 7 p.m. on January 16, 2020, in the City Council Chambers of Muscatine City Hall. The two-year project will replace and widen the pavement, add sidewalks, and include “green” infrastructure to create a better environment for pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and for present and future businesses along the Grandview Avenue corridor.
The bid letting by the Iowa Department of Transportation is set for February 18, 2020, with the contract tentatively scheduled to be awarded in March 2020 and work beginning in April 2020.
The project will be completed in two phases over a two-year period to minimize the impact and minimize road closures. The first phase will be completed in 2020 and include work from Pearl to Musser. The second phase will be completed in 2021 and include work from Musser to Houser Street.
WEST SIDE TRAIL PROJECT
Work on the 1.26 mile West Side Trail Project has been suspended for the winter with the base of the trail completed from the American Legion on South Houser Street to Lucas Street. Work will resume on or about April 1, weather permitting.
The trail remains part of the construction work zone and closed to pedestrian and bike traffic.
Remaining work includes the retaining walls and a driveway on the second between Hershey and Lucas, and the replacement of sidewalk and driveways for the trail from Lucas up Houser to just north of Crossroads, through the Arbor Commons subdivision and into Discovery Park.
OTHER 2020 PROJECTS
Other projects for 2020 include: Park Avenue Three Lane Configuration Project; completion of the 2019 Full Depth Patch Program; West Hill Sewer Separation Phase 4C; and, completion of the 2019 Alley Asphalt Overlay Program.
Phase 4C of the West Hill Sanitary and Storm Sewer Separation Project will begin in March 2020 and will close 8th Street from just west of Roscoe Avenue to just east of Broadway Street. Work will also be done on Linn Street, Roscoe Avenue, Maiden Lane, West 9th Street, and Iowa Avenue. A public meeting on Phase 4C will be held in late February or early March.
The final section of the 2019 Full Depth Patch Program includes Fulliam Avenue from Kindler to Devitt and from Houser to Green Acres. Heuer Construction was awarded the contract.
The 2019 Asphalt Overlay Project will be completed this spring by Taylor Ridge Paving and Construction. The $96,799.10 contract was awarded by the Muscatine City Council on October 3, 2019.
The Park Avenue Three Lane Configuration is still expected to be completed in 2020 but a final schedule has not been established as yet.
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Updates on the work will be available on the City of Muscatine web site (www.muscatineiowa.gov/construction) and on the City of Muscatine social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).