South Main Street in Fairfield to close completely for construction

FAIRFIELD — Fairfield residents who need to travel to the south end of the city should plan extra time into their commute.

The city is conducting a major upgrade of South Main Street between Fillmore Avenue and Libertyville Road, including the creation of a roundabout at the intersection with Libertyville Road. That section of South Main Street has been closed to through-traffic for the last couple of weeks, and soon it will be closed to all traffic.

Fairfield City Engineer and Public Works Director Melanie Carlson said South Main Street was turned into a single-lane road in May, but beginning as early as Monday, June 12, the contractor plans to shut down the road completely.

“We understand that this is probably the most inconvenient stage of the project,” Carlson said. “We’ve had nothing but issues with utilities. We hoped not to have to close both ends of the street completely, but we have to let the contractor keep moving, and this is the only way to get the project done this year. This is a really large project, and we want them to get a lot of work done during this dry weather we’ve been having.”

In late May, the city opened a temporary road on the southwest corner of the intersection of Libertyville Road so that traffic could bypass the intersection while it’s being turned into a roundabout. However, motorists should be aware that this temporary road is only one lane, so they may have to wait longer than usual to allow oncoming traffic to pass through. Carlson said the contractor is planning another temporary road for the northeast corner of the intersection.

Certain properties along South Main Street will have to be accessed from other roads. For instance, residents who want to visit The Well will have to come in from Fillmore Avenue, while Immanuel Lutheran Church will have to be accessed from Buchanan Avenue. Residents of the Southgate housing subdivision may be able to access their properties from a temporary road, although that plan is not finalized yet.

Carlson said she plans to submit a map of detours to the county’s emergency services so they know how to access properties along South Main Street during construction.

“My top priority is making sure emergency services know how to get everywhere, because emergencies can happen at any time,” Carlson said. “We want to make sure dispatch knows how to send police officers or an ambulance to that area.”

Carlson said the great majority of the road work on South Main Street should be finished by the end of 2023, with only minimal disruptions extending into 2024.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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