During the first year of the three-year project, crews will focus on relocating the multiple utilities that run along both sides of SR-502.
“We’ve got every utility you can think of out here: gas, electricity, water, phone and cable,” said Project Engineer Chris Tams. “We can’t build the road on top of them, so we’ll work with various utility companies to excavate and carefully relocate them while minimizing disruptions to folks who live along the highway.”
Crews will also widen a short section of highway just west of Dollars Corner this year. The area must be widened while utility relocation is underway to provide connectivity along the entire length of the 4.5-mile project.
During the second and third years of construction, crews will widen the rest of SR 502, install new traffic signals and median barrier, and construct sidewalks and bicycle lanes in Dollars Corner. The entire project is expected to wrap up in late 2016.
The project is funded through the 2003 and 2005 legislative gas-tax packages.