The construction season is wrapping up and construction on Woodward will be finished for the year by Friday, December 22. The project is not yet complete, and work will resume in the spring. Here’s an update on where things stand:
Construction on Travel Lanes. All lanes of traffic will be open over the winter. Nearly all of the construction work within the travel lanes is complete, with only a small amount of work remaining to be done on the west (triangle) side of Main Street in the spring. The area that is curently striped in yellow hatch marks will be replaced with a new curb and grass area.
Cycle Track Status. The cycle track will be fenced off over the winter for a number of reasons:
- There are two sections of cycle track which have not yet been poured at the corner of Main Street and 696, and at the southeast corner of Woodward and Devonshire. There were utility conflicts in these areas that had to be resolved and delayed construction of the cycle track.
- There is a brick paver border along the edges of the cycle track. The brick pavers are not yet complete in all areas. There there is a dropoff on the side of the cycle track where the pavers are missing.
- The colored concrete will be sealed to help maintain it. This can only be done when temperatures are above 50 degrees, so the concrete won’t be sealed until the spring.
- Closing off the cycle track for the winter will help minimize the amount of salt on the concrete, allowing it to better cure and improve its long-term durability.
Pedestrian sidewalks will be complete and open along the entire stretch of Woodward during the winter.
The photo at right shows the cycle track between Wellesley and Devonshire. This segment has a gap in the cycle track, is missing the edge pavers, and is missing the fill dirt in the landscaping areas, and is an example of the reasons why the cycle track has to be fenced off over the winter.
Work to be Completed in Spring. Most of the work to be done in the spring is detail work and finishing touches:
- 6 more trees will be planted.
- Fill dirt will be added and landscaping installed.
- Irrigation will be installed.
- Furnishings will be installed, including benches, bus stop improvements, garbage cans, and a bottle filling station along the cycle track between Devonshire and Kensington.
Southbound Woodward Status. Work on southbound Woodward in Pleasant Ridge is largely complete. In the spring, final pavement markings and striping will be installed, along with the rest of the bollards on the concrete curbs and the armadillo lane dividers on the pavement between the concrete curbs. This will help separate and protect the cycle track from the Woodward travel lanes. Armadillos are mounted on the ground, and are 4-5 inches high with reflectors. They serve as a physical curb-like separation between the bike lane and travel lanes.
The photo at right shows an example of the armadillo dividers.
