Update on Construction at 50th and Veteran’s Way

Mayor Copeland confirms traffic circle is temporary

With construction season is near-ending, Mayor Craig Copeland wanted to update the public on the progress on the intersection at 50th avenue and Veteran’s Way. “At this time construction is running on schedule,” says the mayor; who adds that the traffic circle at the intersection is only temporary.

“The big thing for people to be aware of is that the construction company has to get in there and open up the middle of that intersection,” Mayor Copeland explains that there are some old pipes that and underground sanitary sewer mains that need to come out. In order to dig in that intersection, the construction company had to build a road around it.

The project is running on schedule, confirms Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the City, Kevin Nagoya, “that question’s always followed by weather. Weather can kill a project, in terms of schedule; if it rains for two weeks and then goes into freezing.” The construction company is on a target of two weeks, says the CAO, “before freeze-up, they hope to have the intersection back in.”

Crews will patch the road for the winter season and then return in the spring to finish the job, says Nagoya. “It’ll have to be all finilized in the spring.”

“There will be another spring construction and maybe into the summer,” says Mayor Copeland. “There will be a set of lights at the 7-11 and at the Best Western. That whole look is going to be totally different. By this time next year, there’s going to be a totally new look down there. That with the new fire hall, we’re going to have quite the facelift.”