Old West Main & Upper Harbor Renewal Project
Newsletter Number 1
Pedestrian Bridge Update:
The project has been successfully awarded to prime contractor Kraemer North America out of Burnsville, MN. Official bridge construction is anticipated to begin in early to mid-March starting first with the building demolition and foundation work on the north side of Old West Main. Currently, the City is working on the abatement of asbestos and regulated waste discovered within the building that is required to be properly disposed of prior to actual building removal. The bridge project is anticipated to take the full summer with final completion by end of September. The Contractor’s detailed project schedule is summarized as follows:
• March to June – work is focused on the bridge piling, concrete footings, and construction of earth embankment. • June through August – work is focused on setting the truss bridge, prestressed beam bridge, and pouring the concrete deck.
• September – work is focused on installing the bridge railing and lighting and paving the bituminous trail connection to Levee Road.
Due to the proximity of the bridge construction activities along Old West Main, the project specifications require the Contractor to complete a preconstruction and post-construction building condition survey. The City requested the survey to be completed on all buildings adjacent to Old West Main between Jefferson and Washington Street, however, the Contractor expanded the survey to Jackson Street to ensure sufficient protection from any construction activities. Following the construction, a second survey will be completed including all items in the preconstruction survey identified above to document any observed changes. Additionally, the Contractor is required to employ a qualified vibration specialist to supervise all vibration producing activities at the buildings surveyed and monitor vibration levels to ensure they do not exceed the maximum level to prevent damage to structures. All building survey and vibration monitoring work is being conducted by Loss Protection Associates out of Eagan, MN.
Old West Main Street Update
The project design has been successfully completed and final plans are at MnDOT for review and approval. The City is anticipating final approval and bidding requirements to be returned from MnDOT in time to allow for the first advertisement of bids on February 13th. This would allow for the opening of bids the second week of March. The consideration of award is expected to be delayed until May 2021 in order to allow for the continued pursuit of project funding. City staff have been working with Bolton & Menk to submit a funding application to the Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) for additional funding for the Old West Main Street project. Official construction on Old West Main is anticipated to begin in early June and with final completion by November 2021.
To continue to provide current information, bi-weekly Friday newsletters are planned, and once road construction officially starts, then weekly Friday updates are planned to be provided. All updates will be emailed to the project email list and posted to the project website. Please visit this website for more information or to sign up for email updates.
A public open house focused on the construction of Old West Main is planned for Thursday, April 1, 2021, at 6:30 pm to discuss the construction schedule, construction staging, and business access plan. The meeting is planned to include a formal presentation about what to expect during construction this coming summer. Additional meeting information and instructions will be provided in the next month, including clarification on whether the meeting will be held in person or online.
This first update is also being delivered by US Mail to the larger project area, and we encourage all those interested in receiving future updates (email only) to sign up at the project website as indicated above.