Whirlwind of Activity

It has literally been a whirlwind of activity along Locust Street and we expect it to keep up even after the 45+mph winds calm down.

Here is what to expect the next week or so on Locust:

Underdrains - starting at 1st and Locust the contractor will be installing underdrains and working towards 4th.

Light Base Foundations - again starting at 1st the contractor will be working to install the light base foundations and working towards 4th.

Curb & Gutter - curb and gutter was just completed up to 4th as of late Wednesday.

Paving of North side of Locust - you read that correctly, we are all set to pave the north side of Locust St. to binder course this Saturday, October 30 starting at 7a.m. Contractor hopes to have all work done before the kids arrive to trick-or-treat at 1p.m. However, The Locust will not open to 2-way traffic right way because we have lots of trucks that need to be in that area to put in sidewalk, bricks, lights and more. Locust will open to 2-way traffic no latter than Nov 13.

IF WEATHER PERMITS - we WIll pave Locust to final course next week. Temps need to be 40 degree's and rising. We are crossing our fingers and hoping for a warm day so we can make this happen. We had only required to binder course, but things are well on schedule and we hope to get some extra work done that will make things easier on all of us over the winter.


Sidewalk and Underlayment - contractor will start to pour sidewalk next week on Monday Nov 1 weather permitting.

Tree and Tree Grates - We are hopeful that we will be able to install tree's and tree grates yet as well. This will make the brick installation work much easier.

Bricks - not scheduled yet, but we should see brick work soon after the sidewalk and underlayment are in.


As a reminder - utility poles will remain in place over the winter and utility companies will coordinate crossovers with customers. When the weather breaks in the spring we will remove the poles, pour final concrete, lay bricks, install street furniture and final landscape materials.

As always, if you have any questions plese contact City of DeKalb Engineer Joel Maur at 815-748-2000 or Jennifer Groce at Re:New DeKalb at 815-748-7788.

Have a great Halloween Weekend!

Removals, Curbs, and Conduit

Its been another messy week (common message we know), but once again weather has been great and we have made really good progress (again common message,but its a good one to have).

Here is what to expect for the next week on Locust:

General Notes:
Saturday work will continue through Nov 13. Work will begin at 7a.m. and end around 3p.m. each Saturday. Alley entrances on Locust will be blocked because we are or have poured curbs and they need to cure. NO parking is allowed on Locust for the most part at this time. If you are having trouble with access to your building please contact us ASAP.

Excavation:
Excavation will take place from 3rd to 4th Friday. This was going to be spread out a bit, but due to rain forecast we moved bumped it up to get it completed. Stone will be poured right behind the excavation, but driveways and alleys will blocked at times. We do have a flagger on site to help cars around the intersection of 3rd and Locust.

Curb Pouring:
Curb is in between 1st to 3rd as of today. More curb will be poured later next week for the 3rd to 4th section once underground conduit is in. The curb work requires the closure of some alley entrances on Locust, but all parking lots can be accessed from 2nd and 3rd.

Conduit:
Conduit is in from 1st to 3rd and work will continue towards 4th. As a reminder the conduit on the north side is very close to doorways as opposed to the south side that was closer to the traffic lane. This is causing disruption for business entrances and we appreciate everyone's cooperation with alternate entrances and planked entrances. If you are having an issue with access PLEASE contact us and we will address it as quickly as we can.

Under drain:
Crews will be starting work on under drains in the 1st and Locust block early next week and will follow east towards 4th behind the crews.

Sidewalks:
Sidewalk and underlayment might begin to be poured at the end of next week starting at 1st St. Again they will work east. Brick layers will be lined up to work once there most block are complete so they have a good area to work in.

As always if you have any questions please contact Joel Maur, City Engineer, at 815-748-2000 or Jennifer Groce, Re:New DeKalb, at 815-748-7788

Many Hands in One Cookie Jar

We have a TON of work going on Locust on the north and south side. There have been 3 crews including removals, utility burial and brick layers all working at once this week. This is causing some some traffic delays at times when things get bottled up. We are working with the contractor to expedite things and keep the road open and traffic moving at all times.

As we all know far to well by now, removal are messy and cause a good deal of disruption. Some would say removals are the worst part of construction. The contractors has removed all sidewalk and road on the north side all at once for the final phase of the project because the utility conduit is closer to the buildings on the north side. On the south side it was in the street so the sidewalks could stay in tact longer.


The good news is that we will finish up the last of the removals today on the north side of Locust. Then we are all done wtih removals for good! As in, this is the last of all removals for the entire public improvements project!!!

Here is what is next for the project for the next week:

North side of Locust:

- Finish removal today
- Complete underground utility work - right now you will see the trench coming down the street in front of the buildings. This is new utility conduit. At times front entrances will be blocked but this should only be minimal, but we have provided signs and contractor is making gravel paths. Concrete work could begin as early as next week...keep fingers crossed for good weather.
- Small sanitary project between 1st - 2nd
- Grade
- Electrical work


South side of Locust:

- Bricks are being installed starting at 1st. All brick work on the south side should be done by the end of this week.

That will likely be all the work that you will see on the south side until next Spring.

Lincoln Highway
- Pass thru gate and handrail were installed on Wednesday!

Lincoln is now 99% complete!

As always if you have questions or concerns please contact Joel Maur, Engineer for the City of DeKalb at 815-748-2000 or Jennifer Groce at the Re:New DeKalb office at 815-748-7788.

Northside Here We Come!

Big news!!! Construction is heading to the north side of Locust Street starting on Friday, October 8. This means traffic control will change and vehicles will now be able to enter from N. First and head eastbound on Locust.

Here is an overview of all that is happening on the south and north side:

South Side

Thursday and Friday will be busy days for installation. The final portion of sidewalk and underlayment near 4th street will be installed. Tree's, planters and lighting will also be installed starting on Thursday and bricks will begin to be installed on Friday. Brick installation and other sidewalk work will continue through next week.

The south side will be open now to eastbound traffic, but there will be almost no parking at this time on Locust due to the work on the sidewalk and on the north side.

The lights from 1st to 2nd will not be lit until the work on the north side is complete.

Please remember that the utility poles will remain until next spring. Utility companies will arrange for the cross over connections with businesses and residents over the winter. Sections of sidewalk have not been poured adjacent to the existing light poles. Those sections will be filled with stone for the winter and paved once poles are removed in the spring.

North side:

Demolition will begin on Friday following the traffic control change over. Work will begin at the west end at 1st and Locust and move east. All sidewalk and roadway pavement will be removed at once. The contractor will continue working on Saturdays. At times roads and driveways will be blocked while they are removing pavement, but this should only be spot closures from time to time.

If there are any questions please contact Joel Maur, City Engineer at 815-748-2000 or Jennifer Groce at Re:New DeKalb at 815-748-7788.

BIG Plans for Saturday...includes road closures after-all

We received notification that a changes has been made to the paving schedule and procedures for the south side of Locust. The contractor will now be paving the south side of Locust St from 4th to 1st this Saturday, October 2 starting at 6a.m. The contractor had hoped to be able to pave 2nd St, 3rd St, and various entrances along Locust half at a time, but due to uncontrollable circumstances they now have to pave all in one day. This will result in a temporary closure of the entrances to 2nd, 3rd, PNC, NB&T and all other drives on the south side of Locust between 1st and 4th Street this Saturday starting at 6a.m. Each road/entrance will be opened as the paving is complete.

Alternate entrances have been arranged for both bank drive thrus and signage will be posted at either ends of Locust between 1st and 4th directing traffic to an alternate entrance to 2nd St. 3rd St. will remain open from Lincoln Highway, but will exit at Palmer Court. A flagger will be placed on 3rd St to assist with traffic.

Paving to leveling binder for the driving lane will be completed on Saturday. Parking lanes will be paved on Monday, but will not result in closures. Contractor will also continue to pour sidewalk and underlayment all along the south side. Light poles will also start to be installed next week.

Roadway work will be complete on the south side of Locust as of Friday, Oct 8 and move to the north side starting on Monday, October 11. The traffic control plan will reverse and all traffic will now enter Locust from 1st Street. There will be no parking on most of Locust at that time due to continued work.