[0:00] So, I guess uh it's just after 11, so I [0:03] guess we'll get going with this week's [0:05] update. I'm sharing my screen. So, [0:08] welcome to the update on the Fernon [0:10] Avenue and Highway 100 interchange [0:12] project meeting number 11. And we're [0:14] recording this and it'll be posted uh [0:17] later on. So, no Chad this week. He's [0:20] out on PTO, but my name is Derek [0:22] Houston. Uh I'm the project [0:24] representative for this [0:31] So once again, just want to thank [0:33] everyone for their patience. Uh we know [0:35] there's a lot of traffic out there. Just [0:37] want to remind everyone businesses are [0:39] open and accessible. Uh there's going to [0:41] be noise, dust, vibrations, and other [0:43] construction related stuff going on. And [0:46] please, please, please stop for [0:47] pedestrians in the crosswalks and be [0:49] courteous to fellow drivers. [0:52] Um, just a reminder, we recommend using [0:54] the crosswalk at Vernon and Eden instead [0:56] of the Eden midblock crossing. Could be [0:59] safer when there's busy traffic. [1:02] So, project goals and timeline. I go [1:05] over this every week, but it's always [1:06] nice to touch on. Uh, improved safety [1:08] and mobility for all users. uh separate [1:11] pedestrian routes, improve traffic [1:13] operations, consolidate Highway 100 [1:16] access points, [1:18] uh improve connectivity between [1:20] residential and commercial areas of the [1:22] district, uh and enhance viability with [1:27] improved access. [1:31] So here once again, it's just an [1:32] overview of the project. We've got over [1:35] here on the left hand side of the [1:37] screen, uh this is the Interlock and [1:38] Vernon intersection. over the railroad [1:42] uh all the way over 100 ramps associated [1:45] with that and over towards the green [1:47] road. [1:51] And so, right, if you're here, uh, [1:52] you're with us on some communications. [1:55] Um, but there's a bunch of other good [1:56] resources we have like better together. [1:59] Um, [2:01] and we've been doing press releases, [2:03] different email updates, [2:06] updating our website. [2:11] So, getting into construction. So, the [2:14] intersection at Interlockan and Vernon [2:16] is largely done right now. Uh traffic is [2:20] flowing about how was described on here. [2:22] There's they poured back concrete median [2:25] in this area. Um so right now on Vernon [2:29] it's separated depending if you're going [2:31] eastbound or westbound, but it's still a [2:33] free flowing turn here. [2:40] And now I know this is an update that [2:41] lots of people are interested in. Uh the [2:44] Excel power line update. Um, long story [2:48] short is there's not a whole lot of [2:49] progress on this. Um, [2:52] we know that Excel and the railroad and [2:55] their permitting are communicating, but [2:59] there's still no permit to the state. [3:01] So, it is it is a major impact to the [3:04] schedule and cost and it's something the [3:06] project team is very concerned about. [3:08] Um, so we're trying to keep you in the [3:10] loop with the best we know and that [3:12] really is all we know at this point. [3:14] Great. original agreement was for an [3:16] overhead line and this is obviously [3:19] buried here. This was from back in May. [3:23] So, it's big concern of the project. Um, [3:27] we're going to keep moving forward and [3:29] we're still pushing them, doing [3:30] everything we can, but it's really [3:31] between Excel and the railroad that we [3:36] don't have much much we can do there. [3:42] So, moving on to what our configuration [3:45] is right now. So, this is uh 28th. We [3:49] closed the northbound ramp onto 100 off [3:52] of Graange and it's still like that [3:54] today. They're working over there and [3:56] installing noise post, noise wall posts [3:58] as we speak. [4:01] [Music] [4:05] And so, we've been getting a lot of [4:06] concerns about the traffic over at [4:09] Benton Avenue. It's uh how a lot of [4:11] people are getting on to northbound [4:14] and we've heard your concerns and we are [4:15] taking steps to address it. [4:19] The Benton Avenue ramp. So there's a [4:21] meter right here and we initially two [4:24] weeks ago we updated it to increase the [4:26] volume that it would allow onto the [4:28] freeway. [4:30] And we just call I talked to MDOT again [4:32] this morning. They're going to up it [4:33] again today. And with school starting [4:36] next week, we're going to continue to [4:37] monitor and see if we can make any [4:39] adjustments. [4:42] Um, [4:45] I understand that traffic is backing up [4:47] a lot into the neighborhoods and we are [4:49] exploring anything we can do [4:52] over there to to alleviate some of that [4:54] congestion. [4:59] Another topic we've been hearing a lot [5:00] about is the construction on Highway 100 [5:03] between oops, I should say 77th and 50th [5:06] Street. I just want to iterate that this [5:09] is a Mindot project and it's not related [5:11] to our work at the Vernon interchange. [5:13] Uh they're doing some overhead sign work [5:16] and they've reduced the lanes. They've [5:19] taken the center lane out uh northbound [5:21] and southbound. Part of that is because [5:23] it's an overhead sign, it's sitting on [5:25] the median. So in order to get at it [5:29] and they need to have the lane going [5:30] both way closed. [5:33] So this is a mindot project and it's [5:35] anticipated to last until September 3rd. [5:38] You can see updates from that from mind [5:41] 511. Got their website here. [5:44] And [5:47] if you want to reach out to Mindot, you [5:48] can reach out to their public affairs um [5:50] and they might be able to give you u [5:53] more updates. [5:56] Oh, one thing I did want to touch on is [5:58] I know people are saying, you know, the [6:00] lane is up, the lane closure is up all [6:02] the time. Something to keep in mind is [6:04] that it costs money every time you put [6:06] it up and take it down. So, I'm sure [6:08] that's one of their considerations in [6:10] leaving it up. [6:15] So this week we've got the 50th and [6:19] Graange intersection closed right here [6:21] and it's just for Wednesday through [6:23] Friday this week. They're doing a big [6:26] pull for the water man, new water man [6:28] that's going under Highway 100. So this [6:32] intersection is closed, but everyone can [6:34] take the detour on Eden. If you're [6:36] coming off the northbound ramp, you're [6:38] just going to be funneled straight over [6:39] to Eden to get where you're going. And [6:42] you can see in this picture in the [6:44] bottom right here, this is actually HDP [6:48] casing that's laid out all the way past [6:51] city hall that they're going to pull [6:53] through with directional bore. So [6:56] they're going to pull it from this side [6:57] over all the way on the other side of [6:59] 100. [7:01] And that'll go through Friday. [7:05] It'll be up to normal normal operations [7:08] after that. [7:10] City Hall is still accessible. Please [7:12] use the Eden Avenue or Graange [7:15] entrances. [7:20] I think we alluded to this a little bit [7:21] last time, but we're getting ready to do [7:23] some more ramp work and ramp closures. [7:25] Uh so we're still trying to nail down [7:27] the date with the contractor, but it' be [7:29] either September 8th or 15th is the [7:31] tenative plan. That'd be closing the [7:34] northbound off-ramp and the southbound [7:36] off-ramp. Um, so we're expecting a lot [7:40] of traffic to get diverted elsewhere, [7:42] including Benton Avenue. We're going to [7:44] continue to monitor that situation, see [7:46] if there's anything we can do to improve [7:48] it. [7:50] Um, one thing to note is that the [7:53] southbound ramp, southbound on-ramp will [7:56] remain open. [7:59] And coming up in the first week of [8:01] September, there's some night work [8:03] planned. Uh, they're going to be setting [8:05] beams for the bridge. So, that's really [8:06] exciting. [8:08] Uh they're thinking they'll do [8:09] northbound first. Uh so it take two [8:12] nights for them to set the girders and [8:14] then they'll switch over and do the [8:16] southbound for another two nights. Uh [8:18] it's notable that that'll be a regional [8:21] detour where it'll go instead of going [8:24] through Highway 100, you'll go 169 to [8:27] 394 and 62. [8:34] So going on this week in the area as [8:37] well. This is not related to our [8:38] project. It's related to building here [8:41] at 5100 Eden. It's being redeveloped by [8:44] the Opus. Um they are putting up jersey [8:48] barrier and fencing along this side of [8:50] the street. And so the pedestrian detour [8:53] is going around and along Arcadia [8:56] they're adding a temporary sidewalk [8:58] there. So I saw them this morning. their [9:00] paving. I'm expecting that to get [9:02] wrapped up soon. [9:07] Now, on to some pictures. Uh, it's my [9:09] favorite part, showing you all the [9:10] updates. I know upper left here, this [9:13] was back when they were still forming [9:16] the footing maybe two months ago. And [9:20] then down here at the bottom, [9:22] it's as if it's partially completed. And [9:25] over at the right here, this was taken [9:26] yesterday. [9:28] uh abutment is substantially complete [9:31] here. Uh they've stripped all their [9:32] forms. You can see the retaining wall in [9:34] the background. Got Dean over here on [9:36] the right. Hawthorne Court over here. [9:40] They're starting to backfill. You can [9:42] see this excavator is actually right [9:44] behind the abupman. [9:46] Um so it's really coming up. [9:50] And here's the intersection at Vernon [9:52] and Interlockan. You can see we still [9:54] got our free turns going here. Vernon on [9:57] the left, interlocking on the right, [9:59] Caribou in the background, and we can [10:02] see the median here that splitting [10:04] traffic [10:09] over here on the left. Just want to [10:10] highlight the Adana liquor store again. [10:13] Uh it's back open for business. We've [10:15] got our bike racks installed there. Hope [10:18] everyone goes and visits [10:21] over on the right hand of the side here, [10:23] right hand side of the page here. Uh [10:25] this was from two weeks ago at the [10:27] bottom. This is a retaining wall coming [10:29] off the wing wall at the east side of [10:31] 100. You can see Washurn McCree in the [10:34] background. And this was yesterday up at [10:36] the top. They've poured the retaining [10:38] wall. And as of today, they're starting [10:41] to back fill up here, adding in dirt and [10:43] compacting it, bringing it up to grade. [10:47] Very exciting. [10:51] over here. This is a retaining wall. [10:53] This is the Hawthorne Court condos. [10:56] This was several weeks ago when they [10:59] were still they poured every other and [11:01] this was yesterday. They poured the last [11:03] segment of the retaining wall. Uh which [11:07] is very exciting. They've got on top of [11:10] this these posts here are dowels for the [11:12] noise wall. Um [11:16] so that's steel reinforcement that will [11:18] go up and beyond. I know you might want [11:21] to look at these to get a a visual idea [11:22] of how tall the noise wall will be. Um, [11:25] just know that the noise wall will go [11:26] taller than that. Probably about 15 [11:28] feet, give or take, from the top of [11:31] these these steel dowels. [11:38] So, here's over at the west abutment of [11:40] the Highway 100 bridge. This was two [11:43] weeks ago. Footing for the re um for the [11:46] retaining wall over here. And then this [11:49] was yesterday. Fully constructed. [11:53] Really moving along. They're getting on [11:55] back fill in here today as well. [12:02] Here's the railroad bridge again. Uh [12:05] some of the back fill I was talking [12:06] about. You can see down at the bottom [12:09] here where it started and they do it in [12:12] lifts and compact it, move it all the [12:13] way up and now they're starting to back [12:15] fill along that retaining wall along the [12:17] Hawthorne Court Apartments. [12:20] Over here is the Debanis [12:22] and the Holiday Store Caribou background [12:26] for a little bit of perspective. [12:31] And here we're looking at the northbound [12:33] ramp that's closed under construction. [12:35] Uh you can see they have a stockpile [12:37] over here on the left side. On the right [12:39] side they've created this kind of they [12:41] call it a bench. That's where they're [12:42] kind of where their work zone is. Uh so [12:45] they can get their equipment over [12:48] down here there's a crane and a drigging [12:52] equipment which is hard to see in this [12:54] picture but over here you can see this [12:55] was the first noise wall post that was [12:57] installed. [12:59] And so this area it's down by Minihaha [13:02] Creek and they're going to work their [13:04] way up towards 50th and city hall. [13:11] I just wanted to wrap up again. Here's [13:13] some of the initial renderings and it's [13:15] really exciting to see that the project [13:17] looks just like these. It's fun to see [13:19] it actually coming along. Um [13:24] so yeah, with that, uh open up to [13:26] questions. Again, my name is Derek [13:28] Houston. I've got my email here and [13:31] we've got our next meeting in two weeks [13:33] and Chad should be back for that. So, [13:36] I'll start going through the chat, read [13:38] any questions. I'll do the best I can. [13:44] First question I'm seeing uh from [13:46] Darren, will there be pillars, beams for [13:49] support underneath the new Vernon Avenue [13:51] bridge like the old one, or will be [13:52] abutments, retaining walls on each side? [13:55] Uh, so I'd say there's abutments on each [13:58] side. Um, it's a single span. So if [14:01] we're looking at this bridge here over [14:03] 100, I think what you're getting at is [14:06] this thing in the center is called a [14:07] pier. And on the railroad bridge, there [14:11] will not be a pier. So it'll just be an [14:13] abupment on each side and then beams [14:15] going across that will hold up the deck. [14:21] Can you tell me anything that's being [14:23] done about the traffic control on Eden? [14:28] Uh, well, so I think you're probably [14:29] getting at backups and traffic there. [14:32] There's going to be a lot of traffic, [14:33] unfortunately. Um, it's one of the [14:36] necessary evils of having construction, [14:38] but we all want nice roads. Uh, you [14:40] know, if you have any ideas, we're we're [14:42] all ears. We're monitoring it and we're [14:45] going to be taking an extra deep look at [14:47] it next week with school starting. [14:55] When they work on the west side of the [14:56] rail bridge, where will they have the [14:59] work area? [15:01] Well, a large part of their area is [15:04] going to be right on top of the abupment [15:06] uh next to the holiday center or the [15:09] holiday gas station. [15:12] Um, that's why if you walk over there, [15:14] there is a decent amount of area that's [15:16] untouched and they left a little bit [15:17] extra to give themsel room. Um, so that [15:20] and that closed area of Gus Young is for [15:22] the contractor to be working in. [15:28] There is a covered pathway trail with [15:30] trees looking towards the north leading [15:32] up to Vernon Avenue Bridge between [15:34] Holiday Drive and that gorge where the [15:37] railroad sits below. Will that trail [15:39] still be accessible once the new bridge [15:41] over the train tracks is complete? Um, [15:45] so I believe that's that's the trail I'm [15:47] thinking of coming up from 49th and kind [15:50] of Brookside area. Uh, that's not an [15:53] officially sanctioned trail and that is [15:55] on railroad property. So that is [16:00] nothing the city can do about that. [16:09] Um, from Barb, [16:12] traffic's getting worse on Eden. [16:19] What is the trigger you're looking for [16:20] as you monitor that would indicate [16:22] something will be done to create more [16:24] controls? [16:27] Well, I guess if you have ideas, we're [16:29] all ears. Um, to an extent, there's only [16:32] so much we can do. That is a major [16:33] detour on Eden from Vernon and there's a [16:37] lot of traffic there with school. [16:40] So if you have any ideas, we're all [16:42] ears. Please let us know. [16:44] Hey Derek, [16:46] I don't want to interrupt you, but I [16:49] think you're looking at questions from [16:51] something. [16:52] Yeah. Can you hear me? [16:56] Can you hear me? [16:57] Anything? [16:57] Okay, I'll do it in the chat. [17:00] Just curious. When were you both the old [17:03] Vernon Avenue and Highway 100 bridges [17:05] built? [17:06] I want to say around the 50s, but don't [17:08] quote me on that. [17:10] Is he looking at old questions? [17:12] I think so. [17:12] Yeah, I think I think he's reading [17:15] I didn't realize I scrolled too far up [17:16] in the meeting. [17:17] Yeah, [17:17] I'm sorry. [17:18] It's okay. [17:18] Okay, [17:19] that was what I was trying to tell him. [17:21] Got the first question from today. [17:22] It was John Crab. Hold [17:24] with me one second. [17:32] Okay, believe John Crabtree question [17:34] from today [17:39] whether we plan to finish the project in [17:40] 2025. [17:42] Uh if we do, what is the drop dead date [17:44] for an agreement between Excel and CPKC? [17:48] Um well, I'd say we're going to do [17:49] everything we can to finish it this [17:50] year. Uh that's what we want to do. [17:54] Everybody does contractor included. I [17:57] wouldn't say we have a drop dead date. [17:59] Um it's once we have more information, [18:02] that's when we can really evaluate our [18:04] options, which unfortunately [18:06] as I shared earlier, there's not a whole [18:07] lot of an update. [18:12] So curious to know, will the Graange [18:16] Road 50th stop light be removed? [18:20] And will one be put where highway 100 [18:23] north exists on the 50th? [18:28] So the light at range will remain and [18:32] yes I believe one's added at the [18:34] on-ramps over there. [18:41] All the traffic shifted onto Eden [18:43] midepptember. [18:45] What is the traffic control planet? [18:54] So, Bill's question about all the [18:56] traffic on Eden and with school [18:58] starting. Um, you know, it's something [19:00] we're going to take a look at with [19:02] schools starting and with the ramps [19:04] closed. We're not totally sure how it's [19:06] going to be impacted. Um, looking into [19:10] manual control is [19:12] something we will look at. Uh, but I [19:14] don't have an answer on if that will [19:16] happen. Um, we definitely say if you're [19:19] traveling in the area, give yourself [19:21] extra time and expect there to be [19:22] traffic and please be patient. [19:32] Can the city provide marketing promotion [19:34] efforts to encourage people to patronize [19:36] local businesses despite all the [19:38] construction going on? [19:41] Um, that's something I can bring up with [19:43] Chad and other members of the city. Um, [19:47] but I don't have an answer for that [19:48] right now. [19:52] Yeah, we can look at some of the [19:54] roundabout controls too with the [19:55] traffic. [20:03] So, yes, Roy's asking about drop dead [20:07] date and when the contract how much time [20:09] the contractor would need. Um, right. [20:12] There's a lot of options though. it's [20:16] asking the contractor to work more hours [20:18] or different winter conditions. Um, but [20:21] it's something we really don't want to [20:23] hypothesize about this far in advance um [20:26] without with all the unknowns kind of [20:28] getting the buggy in front of the horse. [20:35] All really great questions. [20:41] Give a few more minutes. If anyone's got [20:44] any other questions, put them in the [20:45] chat. [20:47] Thanks, Bill. Yep. We enjoy these [20:49] updates, too. It's fun getting all the [20:51] progress out to everyone, [20:53] keeping everyone in the loop. [21:00] All righty. So, I guess with that, not [21:01] seeing any other questions. [21:04] Feel free to reach out to me or or Chad [21:06] with any other questions. He's on PTO [21:08] for this week and next week. Uh, but [21:11] we're happy to help and answer any [21:13] questions you have. So, thanks everyone.