Oak Harbor Street Construction Completed

The Oak Harbor Street Improvement Project is completed.  The primary features of the project are contunuous sidewalk and multi-purpose path between Crosby and Whidbey avenues, a center lane for left turns, street lighting and landscaping.  Take a look at the before and after photos.

June 29th Project Update

Paving operations on Oak Harbor Street begin tomorrow morning. The first layer of pavement will be installed beginning at the Whidbey intersection and extending north to the vicinity of Columbia Drive. Paving will continue north Thursday through the NE 7th Ave intersection.


Expect one lane to be closed for paving with alternating one-way traffic in the other. There will be constant heavy truck traffic hauling asphalt to the paving site, the traffic control flaggers will be favoring asphalt truck traffic over cars and other vehicles in order to keep the paving operations operating smoothly. Significant delays passing through Oak Harbor Street between Whidbey and NE 7th are expected tomorrow. Please avoid driving through this area during working hours if possible.

Arnie Peterschmidt

June 25 Update

The Oak Harbor Street Improvement Project is progrssing but has not been moving as smoothly or as quickly as expected.  There have been a variety of design and construction issues to date that have slowed progress.  None of the problems encountered have been major but each has contributed to slow progress.  City staff have been working closely with the Contractor every day to resolve problems and deliver an excellent finished product.

Paving is expected to begin next week.  Paving will begin with a base layer over the roadway.  We will be finished with potholes, dirt and dust when the base layer of asphlat is completed.  Paving will disrupt traffic  please watch for traffic control and be prepared for delays or taking alternate routes.

Arnie Peterschmidt

Friday May 28 Update

The rain has hit hard today and made a mess of the Oak Harbor Street Improvement Project. The wet conditions softened unpaved areas especially between Crosby and NE 7th avenues causing deep potholes and a rough muddy surface. Please drive cautiously through the project area. It may be necessary to drive very slowly in some places to avoid vehicle damage or a jarring ride. The Contractor and City staff are working to repair the potholes and rough areas but they will continue to be a problem until conditions begin to dry. We apologize for this latest inconvenience and hope you will continue to bear with us. Pothole maintenance will continue over the weekend.



Arnie Peterschmidt

Wednesday May 19 Update

Installation of new water main pipe is wrapping up today. With the pipe in place, disinfection and testing will begin. Connection of the new main to the city system is scheduled for Thursday May 27, 2010. Connecting the new main will require an interruption to water service on NE 7th Ave between Harvest Drive and Oak Harbor Street and on Oak Harbor Street between NE 7th Ave and NE 10th Ave. The Woodbury Park neighborhood will not be affected. This will not be the only notice of water service interruption. All customers that will be affected will be individually notified in advance via “door hanger” notices put on each residence and premise. The “door hangers” will list the date and time frame of the interruption. Keep an eye out for a bright colored notice at your door next week if you live in this area.


Excavation for new curbs and gutters has continued along the west side of the street. The orange markers and yellow caution tape strung along the roadway between the sidewalk and street are intended to warn of the open ditch for curb and gutter.

Please remain cautious while on Oak Harbor Street. Both vehicle and pedestrian facilities are compromised while the street is rebuilt. The street remains rough and narrow, there are frequent lane closures, men and heavy equipment in the street and traffic control during working hours.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns regarding the Oak Harbor Street Project.

Arnie Peterschmidt

Traffic control and water main installation on N. Oak Harbor St.

Friday May 14 Update

The primary task over this week was installation of a new section of water main from NE 7th north on Oak Harbor Street. Most of the pipe is in place. Pipe laying should be finished on Monday. After all the new water pipe is in place it will be filled with water, disinfected, pressure tested and flushed out before it is connected to the City water system. Connecting the main will require water service interruption for some customers adjacent to the new main. Effected customers will be provided with at least 24-hours notice prior to water being shut off. The interruption is expected to last 4 to 6 hours. The new main should be in service in about 10 days.


Old storm drain pipes and catch basins are being removed now that the new system is in place. Preparations for curb and gutter are continuing north from Whidbey Ave. A shallow trench has been excavated between the road and east sidewalk where concrete curb and gutter will be installed. The trench is open except for driveway crossings and is marked with orange cones, candlesticks and drums with yellow tape strung between them. Concrete placement is expected to begin on Tuesday.

Please remain cautious while on Oak Harbor Street. Both vehicle and pedestrian facilities are compromised while the street is rebuilt. The street remains rough and narrow, there are frequent lane closures, men and heavy equipment in the street and traffic control during working hours.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns regarding Oak Harbor Street.

Arnie Peterschmidt

Installing an end-cap and coupling where the

new main will connect to the existing main.

Friday,May 7th Update

The new storm drain system for Oak Harbor Street is nearly complete. All storm drain pipe is in place. All that remains is catch basin (underground concrete vault) replacement and adjustments to several existing catch basins. These catch basins are along the west side of the street between NE 7th Ave and Crosby Ave.


Work has begun on new water main beginning on NE 7th Ave and then proceeding north on Oak Harbor Street. The east (north-bound) lane of Oak Harbor Street north of NE 7th Ave will be closed with alternating one-way traffic in the west lane while water main is being installed. The water main pipe should all be in place next week. The new main will then be pressure tested and disinfected. After testing and disinfection are completed, the new main will be connected to the water distribution system and put into service. Connecting the main will require water service interruption for some customers adjacent to the new main. Effected customers will be provided with at least 24-hours notice prior to water being shut off. The interruption is expected to last 4 to 6 hours.
We are finally beginning to build something that will be visible when finished. Preparations for curb and gutter have begun near the Whidbey intersection. A shallow trench has been excavated between the road and east sidewalk where concrete curb and gutter will be installed. The trench is open except for driveway crossings and is marked with orange cones, candlesticks and drums with yellow tape strung between them.
Please remain cautious while on Oak Harbor Street. Both vehicle and pedestrian facilities are compromised while the street is rebuilt. The street remains rough and narrow, there are frequent lane closures, men and heavy equipment in the street and traffic control during working hours.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns regarding Oak Harbor Street.

Arnie Peterschmidt

North Oak Harbor Street Preview

The North Oak Harbor Street Improvement project will result in an entirely new street that is significantly improved. The main features are; a center lane for left turns from Whidbey to Crosby avenues, street lighting, a continuous 9-foot wide paved path along the west side, a continuous sidewalk along the east side, and landscaping.  The following links lead to grapic displays of the new street.

This link leads to an aerial photograph of the project site with the features of the new street inposed on the photo (This is a large file, high-speed internet service is recommended for viewing). http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B4Q0fBKNfMQcMTVhZjg1ZWQtOTIwYi00YTgyLTlhYTQtNDM3ZWMwMzBlN2Zk&hl=en

This link leads to a conceptual drawing of the new street and also includes an example plan for driveway reconstruction. http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B4Q0fBKNfMQcOGNmOGUwZWEtOTU2Yy00OWMyLWJmMmMtNmI5YmZiMzk1ODJl&hl=en

Arnie Peterschmidt

April 27 Update

Installation of new storm drain pipe and catch basins is nearing completion.  This work started near the Whidbey intersection and has been progressing north over the past 2 weeks.  The remaining storm drain work is on Crosby Ave and Oak Harbor Street north of the Crosby intersection.  Expect to find heavy equipment, men and traffic control in and near this intersection tomorrow and maybe Thursday too.

There is quite a bit of work similar to the storm pipe installation remaining including installing new water main from the NE 7th intersection north along Oak Harbor Street about 700 feet and trenching along the east side of Oak Harbor Street for underground power for street lights. 

We recognise that this project has been a great inconvenience to everyone but especially those living in the project area.  We will do our best to work with residents to reduce inconvenience.  Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this project.

Sincerely

Arnie Peterschmidt

April 12 Update

Reconstruction of N. Oak Harbor Street is steadily progressing. New storm drain pipes and catch basins are being installed at the intersection of Oak Harbor and Columbia. Expect work crews and heavy equipment to occupy the intersection again on Tuesday. Storm drain work will continue north through this week. Expect to find traffic control flaggers, alternating one-way traffic and some traffic delays during the day. Please be cautious driving through the construction zone. The road surface will be rough and irregular.
There has not been much rain lately so the project area is beginning to dry and become dusty. The Contractor will be spraying water from trucks to reduce the amount of dust from the site.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding construction activities, please contact Russ Pabarcus; 279-4520 or email: rpabarcus=oakharbor.org (substitute @ for the = in the address).

Arnie Peterschmidt

March 23 Update

We encountered unexpected problems with the water main today between 460 N. Oak Harbor Street and Whidbey Ave. While installing new storm drain pipe it was found that there were old fittings on the Oak Harbor Street water main that compromised the strength of the main and started to leak. Consequently we were forced to shut down part of the main without prior notice to our customers. We apologize for this inconvenience and recognize that the impacts to people are significant. City Water Department staff is working with the Contractor to restore water service at this time; water should be restored by 5:00 pm.




Asphalt demolition (grinding) over the entire project should be completed by the end of the day today. Sidewalk demolition on the east side of the street and storm drain installation will continue tomorrow.



Arnie Peterschmidt

March 22 Update

Work in the traveled portion of Oak Harbor Street began in earnest today. The primary work activities are demolition of the existing street and installation of new underground utilities in the street. Pavement grinding and storm drain installation is occurring between Whidbey Ave and NE 7th Ave. There were multiple work crews each working in a separate area of the project with lane closures at each site all day. The work sites are busy places, most have heavy earth moving or pavement grinding machines working and dump trucks coming and going.


Expect more of the same type and level of construction activity and traffic restrictions through Thursday afternoon. Pavement demolition and storm drain installation will progress north day by day. The existing sidewalks along the east side of Oak Harbor Street will also be demolished and removed.  Local access will be maintained but the flow of traffic will be interrupted frequently by lane restrictions and equipment movement. Please be cautious driving through the construction zone. The road surface will be rough and irregular. Men and machines will be constantly moving in the roadway and work continues and the work sites will change frequently.

Arnie Peterschmidt

                                Storm drain installation near St. Augustine Catholic Church

March 2 Update

Construction of the Oak Harbor Street Improvement Project is begining this week.  The first work to be done on site is relocation of utility poles.  Potelco, an affiliate company to Puget Sound Energy will be installing several new utility poles between now and March 10.  Please watch for construction zones and temporary traffic control when passing through the project area.

We anticipate that G & G Excavation, Inc., the general contractor, will mobilize to the site early next week and begin work. Reconstructing the road will require that lanes and sometimes the entire street be temporarily closed.  There will often be only a single lane open with vehicle traffic alternating direction in the remaining lane.  Expect frequent delays and changes to lanes and the road surface during construction.  It is recommended that through traffic avoid Oak Harbor Street north of Whidbey Avenue while work is in progress.  The recommended alternate routes are Heller and Goldie streets.

Local access will be maintained during construction as will access by emergency vehicles.

This blog will be updated regularly during the construction period.