Work to rebuild the bridge on Purnell Road over Horse Creek has begun after a significant delay from the announced start date of Feb. 23 because of the snow and ice as well as utility relocations. It will take 120 days for the work to be done with an end date in July.
The detour if you need to get on Purnell Road is Capital Boulevard to Jenkins Road and Thompson Mill. You can also take N.C. 98 to Thompson Mill to reach Purnell
Asplundth tree company had crews on West Oak this week removing trees along and near Richland Creek in anticipation of the bridge replacement there which was scheduled for replacement from July through December.
The next replacement bridge will be on Forestville Road beginning in April and running through August.
The final bridge replacement will be on Rogers Road from March through August of 2016, although the road may be closed longer because of the road widening from just west of the bridge to the Heritage Lake Road/Forestville Road intersection. And all the dates are subject to change.
There is a new Wake Forest town website – Operation Bridge Exchange or OBE – with all the information drivers will need, including maps and descriptions of the detours.
Go to http://www.wakeforestnc.gov and look under “Residents” and then “Transportation” or use this link: http://www.wakeforest.gov/operation-bridge-exchange.aspx.
If the developer goes ahead with construction of the Shoppes at Heritage Village, the small shopping center on Forestville Road that may contain a Publix grocery across from the Heritage Station shopping center (Harris Teeter), the construction congestion may be the most intense in recent history.
The replacements are part of a $9.2-million eight bridge design/build contract for Wake County DOT let last year to Blythe Construction. Because of the three Heritage schools on Forestville and Rogers roads, school, town and state officials have all pledged to make the construction detours and other necessary adjustments as painless as possible.
All four local bridges are safe to use but are considered either structurally deficient, functionally obsolete or both and require constant repairs, leading to the decision to replace them.
The Blythe contract is part of DOT’s state-funded Bridge Improvement Program to improve the overall condition of the state’s bridges. The department is investing $810 million over four years to rebuild, preserve or rehabilitate bridges.
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Work on the North Main Street project to replace street lighting and sidewalks is underway and motorists should be cautious and obey signs and signals when driving on the street.
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Engineers from Summit Design and Engineering Services will soon present a pavement condition survey to the Town of Wake Forest. It will prioritize those streets needing resurfacing and rehabilitation, and it will be used as the town decides which streets will be included in the next street rehabilitation program.
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Town staff is working with the state Department of Transportation on the planned Ligon Mill Road bridge replacement project. Currently the plan is for construction to begin in December 2016, but that will change because of the bridge replacements in 2015 and 2016 on Forestville and Rogers roads.
Town staff is requesting a sidewalk on the east side near the Whippoorwill subdivision and greenway amenities on the north side of Smith Creek as well as a center turn lane.
Song Sparrow Drive will need to be connected to Thorn Rose subdivision for the detour during construction, and there will be a public meeting about this.
DOT is reviewing the feasibility and costs for a pedestrian culvert versus an underpass.
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If you are interested in the Wake County transit planning now under way, you can learn more at www.waketransit.com.
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The construction plans for the Stadium Drive Complete Streets project are complete and the town staff is requesting reimbursement from DOT for part of the funds.
This plan will widen Stadium Drive and add a roundabout at the intersection of Stadium, Wingate Street and North Avenue. North Avenue will also be rebuilt.
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Caddell, an old and not well known street, will be rebuilt this year and Grandmark, a much-needed new street, will also be completed this year.
Caddell runs only south from Spring Street to Pearce Avenue and is rutted dirt. A Wake County grant of $513,878 for 80 percent of the estimated cost, will allow the street to be rebuilt with two lanes, curb, gutter and sidewalks. Advertising for bids will begin in the spring; construction will take four to five months. Construction plans are now 60 percent complete.
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Only 500 feet remain to connect Grandmark from Capcom Avenue to the Grandmark near the ballfields behind The Factory, a connection that can siphon some Capcom Avenue traffic to Rogers Road and a traffic signal for left turns.
Recently the town received a DOT grant of $110,000 toward the $185,000 total to build the street section. There is some money left in the town fund for unpaved roads and an adjoining land owner will contribute $25,000 to make up the total.
Update: Tuesday, Dec. 16, the town board approved a contract with Wetherill Engineering to design the short street section. That contract will not be more than $69,059.34.
