Looking east along Queen from near the U.S. energy lab to Pacific Boulvard on Saturday afternoon.
After being closed to through traffic since June 20, all of Albany’s Queen Avenue between the west city limit and Pacific Boulevard is once again open for traffic — and on brand-new pavement.
I was out of town most of Saturday but enjoyed a little bike ride on the smooth new asphalt late in the day.
The contractor, K&E Excavating, had been under pressure to reopen this important thoroughfare by the Labor Day weekend. And they made it.
The company, based in Salem, had a $6.2 million contract to rebuild nearly 6,000 linear feet of this traffic artery during the summer and finish before the new school year starts on Tuesday. The job included installing new underground water pipes as well.
In his weekly report to the Albany council, City Manager Peter Troedsson said Friday that striping of the new asphalt might have to continue on Saturday if weather kept it from being completed Friday.
I don’t now when it was finished, but by Saturday night the white lines were all in place, complete with turn markings in the center lane and a double white line marking part of the bike lanes.
A reader asked me to look at the turn arrows and note that some pointed to no apparent places to turn into. I did look, and all the markings I saw seem to be in the right place, some distance ahead of cross streets or driveways.
From Troeddson’s report to the council: “Work on Queen Avenue will continue next week but will not require the road to be closed in front of Memorial Middle School and West Albany High School. K&E is planning to start construction of the new water line across Highway 99E to Ferry Street starting Tuesday, September 6. Work will take place at night across the highway to minimize impacts to traffic.”
A week ago workers were still scrambling around in utility trenches so deep that only their hard hats showed above ground. It didn’t look to me that Queen Avenue could possibly be ready for traffic by Labor Day.
I’m glad to see that the workers in this crew proved us doubters wrong. (hh)
Double lines emphasize that there is a bike lane there.
Is Everybody Happy? Quote from Ted Lewis 1929!
Good news!
Anyone else notice the traffic lights on Queen and Elm st take longer to turn/switch. Now since the completion of the project