Weather slows work on Railroad

Adverse winter weather conditions, including an ice storm a couple of weeks ago, has pushed the estimated completion date of the City of Shelton's $2.6-million Western Gateway Project from Feb. 14 to early April.

That new forecast is "weather-dependent," City Manager Jeff Niten wrote in an email Tuesday responding to questions from the Journal.

"We can't lay down asphalt unless the temperature is 40 degrees and rising, among other things," he wrote.

That also means an extension of traffic disruptions coming into and leaving downtown Shelton on Railroad Avenue, which began in August. The project includes new pavement, storm drain improvements, new water main and water services, a new bus pullout and bus shelter near Pacific Court, and new curbs, gutters and sidewalks.

Starting last Monday, parking is prohibited on the south side of West Railroad Avenue from Pacific Court to 12th Street as crews install driveways and sidewalks. The city announced this closure will be periodically in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays for the remainder of the project.

The project is the top priority in the city's Six-Year Transportation Improvement Plan.

It is funded in part by the Transportation Improvement Board and the American Rescue Plan Act.

In April, the Shelton City Council awarded a $2.6-million contract to a Puyallup company to construct the project. Miles Resources offered the lowest responsible bid of the five companies that vied for the contract at $2,552,993.

That same month, city crews began pulling up former Simpson Lumber Co. railroad tracks, last used by the company in 2015, to make away for the additions and improvements. That included removing the tracks that crossed West Railroad Avenue between 11th and 12th streets.

In August, crews began work to install a water main, water service improvements and storm drain improvements on the West Railroad Avenue corridor between Eighth Street and Pacific Court, the city's western border. With the underground utilities installed, new pavement, curb, gutters and sidewalks are being laid.

The city is "hitting the target" on the project budget, "but there have been challenges, including 18 inches of asphalt in certain areas that was unanticipated and might cause additional costs for removal and haul off," Niten wrote. "Railroad is one of our older roads in town and years of asphalt overlays accumulated."

The project's biggest challenge "so far has been tying in new water lines with the old, also following best practices for the distance between valves," he wrote. "The current best practices are valves approximately every block. The lines and valves that we're replacing are much farther apart, causing wider areas to be shut off and longer times to complete the tie-ins."

Motorists in the area can help construction workers by slowing down, Niten wrote.

"We're working as hard as we can to improve services to our community and protect our investment in community infrastructure, the people working in the cold and rain appreciate the added safety of motorists who slow down and are paying attention," Niten wrote. "Over the next three weeks, crews will be pouring sidewalks and driveways. Residents will be unable to use their driveways for approximately three days to allow the concrete to cure. We notified the residents who will be affected by individual door hangers. Parking will also be restricted along Railroad following construction from 12th to Pacific Court."

The city is providing project updates on its Facebook and Twitter accounts, and on its project website at http://www.sheltonwa.gov/westerngateway. A direct link for the project webpage is on the menus for the city's app.