Announcements:
Durand Avenue construction from Kearney Ave. to STH 32 (Sheridan Road) is going start Wednesday March 23rd, 2022.
The actual limits of construction are approximately 100 feet east of Kearney Ave., which allows this intersection to remain fully operational during construction to west of the railroad structure at the east end of the project. The first Stage of construction will detour eastbound traffic starting from Lathrop Ave. to Chicory Road to Sheridan Rd. (STH 32). Westbound traffic will remain on Durand Avenue through the construction zone. Side roads within the construction limits will be closed to vehicle traffic with the exception of Kearney and South Memorial Drive. South Memorial Drive will have at least one lane in each direction maintained throughout all stages of construction. Stage 1 construction will last to approximately June 30th. During this stage of construction, the south half of the roadway will be reconstructed as well as the west half of Memorial Drive.
During Stage 2 of construction, the detour will be removed and one lane of traffic in each direction will be allowed on the south half of Durand Ave. through the construction limits. Stage 2 of construction is expected to last until approximately October 15th, 2022. During this stage of construction the north half of Durand Ave. and the east half of Memorial Drive will be reconstructed.
Lake Avenue Two-Way Conversion:
The Department of Public Works will begin the second phase of the Downtown Public Realm & Parking Plan developed by Toole Design in 2019 and approved by the Common Council in 2020.
During the first phase of changes to the downtown we converted Wisconsin Avenue from one-way southbound to two-way bidirectional traffic from State Street and Sixteenth Street. This phase is similar to that initial phase. We are now converting Lake Avenue from a one-way northbound traffic pattern to a two-way bidirectional traffic pattern from 10th Street to the intersection of State Street and Gaslight Point. The plan calls for the removal of the traffic signals located at the intersections of 6th, 4th and State Streets. The construction of this phase is a little more involved than the Wisconsin Ave. switch in that it will also resurface a portion of the roadway that is being converted. It should be noted that 10th Street between Main Street and Lake Ave. is also being converted to a two-way traffic pattern. Pavement markings, new street signage and bicycle accommodations where applicable are also included in the construction. This phase will begin as soon as Monday - July 25th depending on the availability of construction crews and the weather. The construction is expected to last approximately 8 weeks once they start. The changes are carefully planned, to slowly, and in an obvious manner, to educate the traveling public of the change.
The first step will be construction crews working on the adjustments required for the resurfacing portion of the project and any underground repair or replacements needed for the sanitary or storm sewers. This will be done under a road closure with access only granted to local traffic. Once the underground work is completed the portion of the roadway from 9th Street to south of 5th Street will be resurfaced with asphalt pavement. After this step is completed, the next step of construction should start immediately. This will be similar to the Wisconsin Ave. construction where only one direction of traffic will be allowed to utilize the road as the other half is being converted.
The second step of construction will close the western half of the roadway for the entire length of the project (State Street to 10th Street). All roads crossing Lake Ave. will remain open at all times. During this second step, northbound traffic will only be allowed on the east side of Lake Ave., while the western half of the roadway is being converted to southbound traffic. Similarly, 10th Street between Main and Lake will only allow eastbound traffic on the south side of the road. The City of Racine anticipates this step to start in early September and last for approximately 1 week.
The third step of construction will close the east side of Lake Ave. and switch the direction of traffic to southbound ONLY on the west side. This will be the permanent direction of travel for the west half of the roadway. Northbound Lake Avenue traffic will be routed to Main Street until the completion and opening of the roadway to two-way traffic. The City of Racine anticipates this third step to start immediately after Step 2 is completed and traffic control is in place. This step will also last for approximately 1-2 weeks.
Once the third step of construction has been completed, Lake Avenue will be opened to two-way traffic. The City of Racine anticipates this work to be completed by mid-late September.
Kinzie Ave. – West Sixth Street Bridge Closure
The West 6th Street Bridge Project will continue until approximately November 2022. The Detour has been posted to utilize Memorial Drive to 12
th Street to West Blvd. for the westbound direction and reverse that detour for the eastbound direction. The pedestrian detour will go along Parkview Drive across the pedestrian bridge into Island Park and then south down Kinzie through the park to the west side of the project. There will also be a posted detour for the Root River. At times there will be driving pilings and demolishing
the bridge which will generate noise and vibrations to neighboring houses. This a long process please be patient.