Eastbound traffic on Queen Avenue near West Albany High School at about half past 4 on Jan. 10, 2022.
This summer, get ready for a big reconstruction project on the west end of Queen Avenue, a key traffic route in Albany.
A legal ad in the classifieds of the Democrat-Herald caught my eye the other day. It was a public notice that the City of Albany was calling for bids on about a mile of “asphalt rehabilitation” of Queen Avenue.
The bid documents are available online, and I looked them up.
The plan documents include a map. In a heavy black line, it shows the extent of the project area on Queen and a couple of side streets, from the city limits on the Calapooia River to Ferry Street at the east end. Here is the map:
Mainly, the project calls for repaving about 5,600 feet of Queen Avenue between the city limits and Elm Street. It also calls for about 3,500 feet of 12- and 8-inch ductile iron water line on Queen from Liberty to Ferry streets, which means going under four railroad tracks at the Queen Avenue crossing.
Along the streets, curb ramps are to be installed and sidewalks repaired, and storm drains are to be replaced.
The engineer’s estimate puts the cost of all that at around $6.5 million. Bids are due at City Hall at 2 p.m. on Jan. 31.
What about the likely effect on traffic?
According to the bid documents, the contractor can close sections of Queen between the city limits and Pacific Boulevard from June 20 through Sept. 1, but will have to keep one lane open.
The section from Pacific to Ferry can be partially closed — again with one lane open — during 30 days before or after the closure on the other end.
The entire job — paving, sidewalks, water pipes and all the rest — must be finished by Nov. 3. The contractor can earn a bonus for finishing early but will owe a penalty for going beyond that date.
Assuming the bids come in as expected and the council awards a contract in short order, expect some delays in traffic while the work is being done. Either that, or take another route. (hh)
The end of Queen, where street reconstruction is planned. The signal in the distance is at Elm Street.
Just hope they don’t make the “Madison” mistake.
So this job hasn’t been contracted out . I swear I need to find the letter we were sent when this job was postponed from last year the letter stated that the job was already paid for and would begin in April
Take a drive. Start at Queen and Elm, and drive to Broadway. Turn right, continue until you get to 12th street. Turn right. Drive down 12th until you reach Elm. Queen or 12th, you tell me which street needs repaving the most! I wonder a lot sometimes about the city of Albany’s priorities
Start here: https:/cityofalbany.net/streets