Ninth Avenue residents learn about construction project

    The City of Washington closed South Ninth Avenue to through traffic Monday because of roadwork. The avenue is closed from Washington Street to Van Buren Street, but both of those cross streets will remain open. The city held an informational meeting about the paving project at the old library Friday, which was attended by residents who were concerned about the inconvenience the roadwork would cause.

    Construction crews will spend the next two weeks repairing the manholes on South Ninth. After that, the street will be torn up and completely rebuilt. The current surface asphalt will be ground up and used as the new base, and 7 inches of concrete will be poured on top of it.

    The portion of South Ninth from Washington Street to Van Buren Street is expected to be done in mid- to late-November. The rest of South Ninth that extends to Polk Street will be dug up and paved in the spring. Polk Street and a portion of Fifth Street between Marion and Second avenues will also be resurfaced in the spring. 

    City Engineer Rob McDonald said that local residents will be allowed to park outside their homes at night during the paving process. He said they should move their cars off the street before 7 a.m. the next day when construction resumes. Residents will not be able to park in their driveways during this time because there will be a drop-off of 18 inches from the driveway to the street. Residents will also be barred from parking on South Ninth if the street is muddy, which McDonald said may occur given that the dirt base will be exposed after the street is torn up.

    Allen Reed, who lives on South Ninth, works nights and is at home sleeping during the day. Reed said he would probably have to park a block from his house during the paving portion of the road construction so that his car is not in the way.

    ?That?s going to be a pain when I go to the grocery store and get five or six bags of groceries,? said Reed. ?I?ll have to make two or three trips to the car.?

    Reed also asked McDonald if semis would be permitted on the road after its completion. McDonald said that decision is up to the city council.         ?Semis travel on South Ninth every day, and it is a major problem,? said Reed. ?That?s why the street deteriorated so much in the first place. It seems to me it would be a very simple fix to give the semis a truck route like other cities have.?

For the full story, see the Sept. 20 edition of The Washington Evening Journal