Phase 1 (Gravelly Lake Drive and Washington/Interlaaken)
Communication companies have been diligently moving their lines off the poles at the four intersections within the project limits. They are approximately half way through the relocations that are needed and have completed the relocations necessary to keep the contractor on schedule at the Washington/Interlaaken and Washington/Gravelly roundabouts. Weather permitting, paving is scheduled for the week of May 16. All pavement for the first phase will be completed that week with the exception of the section of Gravelly Lake Drive at Nyanza. Some extensive trenching in the roadway still needs to be completed in order to underground some communication lines along Gravelly between Pacific Highway and Nyanza. Once that is complete, the contractor will schedule night paving for the section along Gravelly between Pacific Highway and Nyanza and along the southern portion of Nyanza connecting to Gravelly. Paving of this section is expected to take place at the end of May. Striping will occur three weeks after the asphalt is complete and will be done under complete road closure over a period of several nights. Striping is the last item of work that will be completed.
Road closures and detour routes the week of May 16 will change a few times over the span of a few days as the crews work to pave Washington and move south along Gravelly toward Veterans. When they reach Veterans, they will reopen Washington Boulevard at Gravelly Lake Drive and close Gravelly at Veterans to relocate the last two communication lines and remove that pole on the same day that they pave the section of Gravelly between Country Club Drive and Veterans. They will need to keep that roundabout closed for a few days while the last concrete panel where the pole is currently occupying is poured and has ample time to cure. With the number of days between closure and detour shifts, Portable Changeable Message Signs are not effective. Please use the City’s website Ongoing: JBLM-North Access road improvements – City of Lakewood (https://cityoflakewood.us/design-jblm-north-access-improvement/) during this couple of weeks in order to get daily updates.
Phase 2 (North Gate Road, Edgewood, Vernon, and Washington)
A detour route is being set up along Kenwood between Vernon and Nottingham and along Nottingham between prepared to handle traffic. This week, the contractor began the work to bulk up the road section and widen the road to handle the near 7,000 vehicles expected to use this detour daily. Next week (currently scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday), the contractor will pave the road and install speed humps. Kenwood at Vernon and Edgewood at Kenwood will become all way stops and the road will be striped. Though the detour is not expected to be utilized by the majority of traffic until construction of North Gate Road and Edgewood will require closure of those segments, it is good for drivers to get accustomed to new traffic patterns prior to it becoming busy.
Construction along North Gate Road from Nottingham to Edgewood and Edgewood from North Gate Road to Washington is expected to commence in June.