Road construction crews battle delays, weather

The Illinois Street construction project recently hit a few snags.

"It's progressing," Sidney Public Services Director John Hehnke assured. "There have been a few twists along the way."

The construction crew discovered some underground utilities that weren't in their expected location. These extra shallow gas mains have to be placed more deeply underground so the road can be properly installed.

So far, the crew has the curb and gutter in place on Illinois and have replaced the storm drain. They reached the halfway point on the intersection at 14th Ave. and are keeping the same pace with work on the intersection at 13th Ave.

There are some added challenges for the road crew because their work is so close to moving traffic.

"You have to be on your toes all the time," Hehnke said.

Motorists should pay extra attention to their surroundings when driving along the section of Illinois from 13th Avenue to 14th Avenue out of respect for the construction workers, Hehnke advised.

"With vehicles that close, one wrong turn and you could get a face full of vehicle," Hehnke said.

Workers are attempting to catch up after the utilities-related delays, but working quickly is difficult in such warm conditions.

"As we get into the afternoon, they start to feel the affects of the heat," Hehnke said.

The threat of rain on Friday afternoon did not help in their efforts.

These workers are trying to finish this current portion of the construction in a timely fashion so they can move on to work on the underpass during the first week of August. Officials with the city are still hopeful that the underpass closure will take place before the start of school.

At the moment, the city plans to close down the section of Illinois from 13th to 14th to one lane next Wednesday. While the city pours pavement on the south side of Illinois, a flagger will direct traffic going both ways. If they end up pouring during rush hour, it will back up traffic quite a bit but if it happens any other time, most people won't be affected, Hehnke said.

"We ask the public to be patient going through so there are no accidents during construction," he added.

The entire intersection will be more functional after this project is finished, he promised.

Some Sidney residents are unsure why this particular area is being replaced.

"I don't see why they're doing that," Aleena Fuss said. "I didn't see a problem to begin with. There are so many other roads that need it more than that."

Others don't seem to have a problem with the construction.

"It's not bad," Dean Wittboldt said. "It doesn't bother me."

Work on the Illinois Street began in late June. The whole project involves removing all the pavement, curbs, gutters and sidewalks and replacing the roadway with concrete pavement. The $711,000 project will also involve upgrades to the traffic signals at 13th and Illinois. The city hopes to finish with the entire project before Oktoberfest.