We will begin this week with an announcement: a date has been chosen for the August Business Update. It will be held Wednesday, August 30th at noon in the Community Center. The Community Center is located at 161 N. Dickason Blvd., on the corner of Dickason and Mill.
This is a chance for business owners and operators to be in the same room as the contractors and state Department of Transportation representatives. A person from Michels Materials gives a brief presentation on the progress and future of the road construction, which is then followed by an informal Q&A.
Questions, problems and concerns are fielded by the businesses in attendance and answered by people from DOT and the contractors with the power to address them.
We hope to see you there. On to the update!
After weeks of methodical preparation, paving is well under way. Between Ludington St. and Charles St., the center two driving lanes were paved August 18th, and the parking lanes were completed on the 22nd and 23rd.
With large portions of paving now complete, construction is off to the races. You will notice almost daily changes to the stage two area as more roadway and infrastructure are filled in.
Next for the road comes curb and gutter. The preparation for installation will begin Monday, August 28th. Work on the new pavement will continue through that same week.
Once the curb is in, bases for the new street lights can begin to be laid, with electrical to follow.
Sidewalks have been removed on the north side of the street, and the path for the new walkways will be smoothed out by Friday, August 25th. The new northern sidewalk concrete should be poured between Tuesday the 29th and Thursday the 31st.
Again, this sidewalk work is only on the north side of James St., between Charles St. and Dickason Blvd. Barring a fortuitous acceleration of progress, the downtown and southern residential sidewalks are probably going to remain untouched until after Labor Day.
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Our Business Liaison Intern, JT Cestkowski, derives all of his self-worth from the time he spends answering your questions, addressing your concerns and fixing your problems. For his own good, please continue emailing him at jtcestkowski@columbuswi.us, and also be sure to continue to check in at www.askjames1660.com for the latest on the James Street Reconstruction Project.