While residents on Texas Avenue find relief from the construction of their water main project, digging should start this next week on two more Whitefish streets. For those living on Armory Road and the east end of Second Street, get ready for rough roads.
In a 45-day project, Robert Peccia and Associates engineers will install two water mains in Whitefish’s east side utility project. “Our goal is to not shut down the roads,” explains project engineer Brandon Theis. However, local residents may see short delays, one way traffic, and possible detours. For residents of Haskill Basin and East Edgewood, the construction on Second may shovel drivers north of the railroad tracks onto the less direct Edgewood route to town. “Luckily, the Texas Avenue project there should be buttoned up,” says Theis.
For the Second Street project between Larch Street and Armory Road, engineers will use directional drilling beneath the road while cars drive overhead. The road will see only two exposed sections about 150 feet long each. The Armory Road project is considerably longer at 800 feet, running from the west end’s 90-degree corner to Hueth Lane. Installing the water main here will require digging up the street with open trenches, which may require one 48-hour closure of Armory Road in late September or early October, Theis notes.
Theis expresses concern for construction workers due to the speed at which drivers crest the hill on Second Street’s east end. “People haul coming over that hill,” says Theis. “In early October, rains might turn to ice, making the road slick and dangerous as it runs downhill straight into the construction.” Signs will alert drivers to slow down.