Archive for Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Photo by Matt Stensland
Scott Contracting flagger Bill Kelly works in the cold, wet weather Wednesday afternoon at 12th Street and Lincoln Avenue. Work on the Lincoln Avenue repaving project is not expected to resume until Monday because of weather.
Fall paving likely in downtown Steamboat
Wet weather delays project until Monday; spokeswoman calls June 30 completion “highly unlikely”
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Paving information
Jody Patten, project information manager for Scott Contracting, is providing several sources of information about the U.S. Highway 40 construction project. For daily updates on the project information hot line, call 970-819-7008. To sign up for e-mail updates on the project, visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the “Sign up for E-mail and Wireless Alerts” link in the upper right corner. Enter an e-mail address, select the appropriate updates and click “Submit.” For more information, visit the project website at www.coloradodot.info/projects/us40steamboat.
Steamboat Springs — Get used to the idea of paving work continuing in fall, Steamboat.
After this week’s wet weather postponed paving and excavation work on Lincoln Avenue until Monday, that possibility moved closer to becoming a certainty. Jody Patten, spokeswoman for Scott Contracting, said Wednesday that completion of the project by June 30 is “highly unlikely” after crews were sent home to wait out the rain and snow that is expected to last into Saturday. The National Weather Service in Grand Junction is forecasting chances of precipitation and thunderstorms until then, followed by mostly sunny skies Sunday through Tuesday.
“We’ve been consulting every weather source we can find, and it doesn’t look good,” Patten said about the week’s remainder. “We wouldn’t be able to do any hand pours of concrete or any mainline pave. Our dirt work is severely limited, too, because of how saturated the ground becomes. … We’re kind of hamstrung. If we kept going, we would just get very little done.”
Scott Contracting is conducting the $5.6 million repaving and highway improvement project for the Colorado Department of Transportation. Scott will receive an $80,000 bonus if it completes the project by June 30. Patten said Wednesday that she wouldn’t rule that out but acknowledged that the odds are slim.
“We were two and a half weeks behind before this delay,” Patten said.
Traffic control crews will remain on the job in downtown Steamboat Springs through Friday, Patten said, with officers at Third and Seventh streets during rush hours and at Fifth Street all day.
Steamboat Springs Police Department Capt. Joel Rae said starting Monday that he will add a second officer to downtown traffic control. That officer eventually could help direct traffic at Third and Oak streets, Rae said, to ensure safety at the intersection that’s an outlet for Steamboat Springs High School and is seeing increased use as an alternate route from the mountain area into downtown.
“It’s pretty clear that as they move on down (Lincoln) and especially as we get into that Third Street intersection, that (traffic) is going to get worse before it gets better,” he said.
Rae said Scott Contracting, through CDOT, is fully reimbursing the city for overtime police work on traffic control. But Rae said traffic control could affect police staffing levels.
“I think that will put a little strain on our staffing, but it’s an important thing to keep that traffic moving,” he said. The work “ends June 30, so we’ll just do the best we can.”
Rae said he is not aware of his officers issuing any tickets for speeding in the downtown work zone, which has a 20 mph speed limit 24 hours a day.
Work will stop June 30 regardless of completion. Patten said work sites would be cleared and roads safely drivable on that date to facilitate summer tourism season. Scott would finish uncompleted work in the fall.
Patten said work could resume Sept. 1. But she and city Public Works Director Philo Shelton said conversations are under way to potentially move that restart until after the Labor Day holiday Sept. 6.
Scott Contracting is contractually obligated to complete the project by a date in mid-November or face fines. Patten said that’s a major reason why work cannot be cut off earlier than planned this spring.
“We can’t afford to take most or even part of June off, or else we won’t finish on the other end in time,” she said.
City engineer Ben Beall said there are several ideas, but no agreed-upon plan, to increase the project’s pace.
“We’ve looked at a number of scenarios for accelerating the work,” Beall said. “We’re continually in discussions with Scott in terms of how things can be worked out to better facilitate the work because we care about our downtown businesses. … Right now, there’s nothing set in stone.”
Comments
Cooke (anonymous) says...
And the downtown business owners get more bad news...I think I'm going to puke.
May 12, 2010 at 1:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
fredduckels (Fred Duckels) says...
Downtown merchants have worked to keep Lincoln as the only route in order to captivate traffic. Most of us are subsidizing them as CDOT was ready for an alternate route about thirty years ago. Go figure!
May 12, 2010 at 3:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
stillinsteamboat (anonymous) says...
Gotta give you this one Fred. I agree.
May 12, 2010 at 5:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jmm761 (anonymous) says...
Why are there not twice as many crews working 24 a day, 7 days a week when the weather is nice? Why was this project awarded to an outside company that has to drive hours just to start work when the weather does clear up? The city and Cdot should be held responsible for the what the ripple effects of this project will be. If they really cared about this town, the bidding of this project would have been a much smaller time frame with a much larger company. This is our downtown, not just a highway that runs through it! We will be lucky if we do not lose anymore businesses. The city thinks furloughs are bad, just wait until the latest tax figures, layoffs will be coming soon. Got to love government projects, they just keep getting paid while everyone drowns around them. The Pilot should do an expose on how the bidding of this project was done, it would be interesting to see what the time frames for similar urban areas are. The solution is not a bypass but more accountability and efficiency.
May 12, 2010 at 6:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
stirrinuptrouble (anonymous) says...
Honestly, I thought the asphalt was just fine. I was chuckling 18 months ago when the project first made the news. One born every minute. The best one can hope for is a great looking main street with much much louder tire noise. In for a penny in for a pound so the saying goes.
:)
May 12, 2010 at 7:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
paddlefisher (anonymous) says...
the year before I moved here I worked for a company that did a paving(concrete) project for the state of Montana..we worked seven days a week 12 hours a day because we knew that Mother nature would have a say in the weather..we did roughly 160 miles of interstate East and West two lanes on each side and finished months before the dead line and recieved a considerable bonus from the state whitch the company generously shared with all of us..these guys are a joke they don't work on weekends and don't take advantage of the good weather when we have it..why was this not contracted locally ?
May 13, 2010 at 6:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
exduffer (anonymous) says...
When they did the infrastucture last year did they not notice any 'hidden concrete'. If they did, did they not go to CDOT and say hey we have a problem here. If they did, did CDOT not say let us rethink this project. If they did, did they not inform the city about potential problems. If they did, did the city not inform the public. If they did...if they did not.
May 13, 2010 at 6:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JohnFielding (anonymous) says...
.
Well said exduff.
.
May 13, 2010 at 7:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
fredduckels (Fred Duckels) says...
duffer,
The concrete is no secret, it was done in the thirties by Ralph Zuschlag, he later built and owned the Harbor Hotel. There is a bid item in the contract to deal with this problem.
May 13, 2010 at 8:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
pitpoodle (anonymous) says...
I gotta agree with exduff too. The whole plan (and I use that word loosely) is flawed. Surely the city's public works dept had some sort of say in this fiasco or is their job just to harass locals who try to build something?
May 13, 2010 at 8:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blue_spruce (anonymous) says...
just keeps getting uglier...who made the decisions on this job? was it CDOT?
at this point, with Scott's policy of "no overtime / weekends / etc" i just hope we can get this done before the 10/11 ski season!
May 13, 2010 at 8:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jpatten (anonymous) says...
A few important points some folks above don't really seem to grasp:
1) This project went to the low bidder by CDOT rules, and does not include money for 24/7 work. Scott does work some weekends and nights at its discretion when weather is ideal, but weekly hours cannot generally exceed 45 per week per the bid amount.
2) Closest local contractor who bid was significantly more than Scott Contracting.
3) We knew the old concrete was there and it was never any kind of problem to remove....however, the quality and depth (2-3') of "muck" beneath it is what nobody knew for certain when we started.
4) Muck excavation (the spongy stuff you can't build a road on) is what's going slower because of the wet weather, plus blanketing and un-blanketing the new concrete as we pour it to protect it from snow and rain slows productivity considerably.
5) We're fortunate to be getting this kind of money in our CDOT region, which we couldn't necessarily count on getting if we had delayed. This project was at least two years overdue for resurfacing.
6) Let's remember we are building at the worst time of year for weather and that once it's done it's a long-term fix. Asphalt has to be resurfaced and re-striped just about every year.
I'm certain that this project is causing a lot more pain for merchants and residents already suffering through the toughest economy in decades around here. While it's tempting to try to assign blame, there seem to be an awful lot of "experts" here locally who don't seem to understand the particulars of the project specs or of concrete construction.
I suggest we all hunker down, focus on things we can improve in our own lives, and trust that Scott Contracting will complete this project in a quality manner just as fast as the weather will allow.
May 13, 2010 at 9:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
andyjehn (Andy Jehn Kennedy) says...
The construction is unavoidable at this point, and instead of complaining we should all go downtown and shop to support those businesses.
But in the meantime I support a workshop on traffic control for our officers, they obviously don't know what "keep the flow moving" really means. One car at a time is not "flow."
I also am concerned to hear that the asphalt they're ripping up is going into a landfill near our river instead of being picked up for free and recycled by Connell construction, which I know from an employee that they offered to do.
I would love to see all these concerned citizens collaborating on how to fix the problems in this horrendous nuisance that we actually can help solve.
May 13, 2010 at 9:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Scott_Wedel (Scott Wedel) says...
Well, it may be time to address weekend and other limitations on work hours. I think almost everyone would greatly prefer they worked weekends and late on nice days if that would get it finished sooner. Right now they are losing so much time to the weather that they really need to take advantage of nicer days.
Some that know concrete are getting very concerned about there potentially being so much work left for the fall. It is really hard to get a good pour for a flat surface that will cure correctly when it is freezing.
May 13, 2010 at 9:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
localboy17 (anonymous) says...
andyjehn, you really speak from a very ignorant perspective when you talk about the traffic control that the officers are doing. I have a family member that is an officer and for such a sweet little town you wouldn't believe how many rude, loud, and in a hurry to get everywhere people there are in this town. Everyone that pulls up to an officer directing traffic is the most important person in the world to themselves and they NEED to get where they are going NOW. Cut them a break, they don't like all this as much as we don't and they have to deal with all the anger issues of the town.
May 13, 2010 at 11:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
exduffer (anonymous) says...
Why was the muck not anticipated. Were no core samples taken?
Nothing like sending your crews back to the Front Range for the weekend to make the weather turn nice..
May 13, 2010 at 11:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jk (anonymous) says...
Were they not the same company installing all of the piping last fall? Did the muck change over the winter??
May 13, 2010 at noon ( permalink | suggest removal )
ljcolorado (anonymous) says...
I would love to vent a little. I commute daily as do many. I reconsider my downtown errands or purchases. Just don't have the time and sometimes admit, patience.
First of all; I think the officers are doing the best they can with a pretty ridiculous traffic situation. I would not want that job!!
I recognize the downtown project is much bigger to some than a minor traffic inconvenience. The economic impact must be obvious to City officials. If the public is uninformed of the relevant details of the project than someone needs to better handle the PR. If perception is reality: my perception is not favorable and it feels like poor planning. News flash: weather.
I probably echo a majority of people that it is time for all stakeholders to get in the same room; to get some real facts out to the community. I would assume Scott Contracting has someone who would be able to coordinate that effort. If a conservative completion date was June than announce it will be done in September so people can plan! Since that wasn't done from the begining it seems time to "regroup". If there is no other option than delay until Fall (which based on the current track record means December) than everyone brace yourselves.
What will be the real impact to downtown in July and August?
Is this project representing good planning or foresight? I was always taught there really are few "unexpected" situations when it is a well-thought plan. You plan for the unexpected. I admit I am uninformed - but also unimpressed.
I remain hopeful someone with leadership will take charge or if its going to continue to be a mess and go down as a "debacle" so be it. City Council are you out there? Steamboat Pilot and Today? can anyone hear us? Maybe we need a countdown clock on Lincoln Avenue so it won't seem like such a long time to wait for completion. Just 36 more weeks!!... or something like that.
May 13, 2010 at 12:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
snowysteamboat (anonymous) says...
Next Public Meeting
Thursday, May 20th, 5:30 p.m. at
Centennial Hall Room 113/114
located at 124 10th Street
Steamboat Springs
More info: Jody Patten, Project Information Manager
Project Hotline: (970) 819-7008
May 13, 2010 at 12:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jmm761 (anonymous) says...
I find it difficult to feel sorry for the contractors and there so called 45 plus work weeks, maybe two more crews at 45 hours would get the job done. How ridiculous a statement when it is clear there is not enough work getting done. They clearly underbid the job in hopes of getting it, maybe those two other bids that were a million dollars more accounted for the right size of crews and man hours needed. There must be some more salaries in a 6.5 million dollar, 13 block contract. How is it more economical for you to come back in the Fall over bringing in more workers now? Get it together CDOT, The City and Scott Contracting! This is a joke.
May 13, 2010 at 4:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yampavalleyboy (anonymous) says...
Hey George, and all the others that gave me crap about my prior comments on this crazy situation...TOLD YA SO!
Go pound concrete! Only next time, do it in the late summer (mid-Aug) till 10/31. And do you know why? Cuz, Springtime in the Rockies is NEVER-EVER WET.
Next stop... The 4th of July Parade.
May 14, 2010 at 9:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
trump_suit (anonymous) says...
2:00 in the afternoon on Friday, not a raindrop in sight all day long, but absolutely no work being done. This is excellent use of the "good" weather days. No wonder they are falling behind.
May 15, 2010 at 6:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
exduffer (anonymous) says...
So much for the nice weather. If it wasn't dry enough last week to get the work done with last nights rain and this morning's snow we might as well put it off til next April and hope...
May 15, 2010 at 8:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Tubes (anonymous) says...
Rather amazed that Ms Patten is on here getting defensive. Please spare us the excuses and stop acting like you know ANYTHING about road reconstruction by sticking to the very important public information component of this project. Which btw, has been far from accurate and absolutely inadequate at times throughout this mess.
May 15, 2010 at 11:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
flower (anonymous) says...
24 hour construction in Steamboat!? Residents complain about noise constantly!
May 15, 2010 at 2:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mmjPatient22 (another anonymous cannabis user) says...
I'm not sure of how many other people caught this but it sure made me glad that it put a smile on my face before it was taken down. A couple of days ago, there was a sign that was put up along the visible side of all of the parked heavy equipment that's supposed to be busy re-building our main street. It was a sign of simple construct, being comprised only of a 4'x8' sheet of plywood and had it's point spelled out in bright pink spray paint, plain and simple for all to observe. It simply read;
"Hire Local"
Just a short jaunt down the way was another beautiful piece of construction art for me to enjoy on my morning drive to work. Again, simple but to the point. Creekside Cafe had erected an outdoor seating arrangement(complete with table, two chairs and an umbrella to guard against the precipitation), who's only guest was a handmade sign that said, "Open for business," if my memory serves me correctly.
It goes without saying that these are tough times. Businesses, far and wide, big and small, are feeling the wrath of a tough economy. Consumers are wrenching down their wallets and remaining bank accounts, while business owners are looking in EVERY nook and cranny to find some semblance of savings or reduction of overhead. That being said, I say that it's high-time(no pun intended) for locals across the nation to buck up and buy local. Sure, internet shopping is fun, easy and even most times more cost effective...temporarily. But how many small businesses have to be closed down or consolidated before we wake up to the corporate take-over that's happening right in front of our eyes?
May 15, 2010 at 9:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yampavalleyboy (anonymous) says...
Oh my God! I just noticed this am going through town, that they are installing "RED BRICK PAVERS" for the crosswalks! What are they thinking. Brick Pavers???
Can you imagine what those Brick Pavers will look like after only 1 winter?? The transition from concrete to brick with be a prime spot for "freeze-thaw". The plows will annihilate the Brick Pavers! I was under the impression, they were going to use "colored concrete".
What the H*#+!ll ??
May 17, 2010 at 10:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
paddlefisher (anonymous) says...
hey...they made some good progress last nite..and traffic isn't really that bad just gotta pick and choose your times to go across town..the thing now that cracks me up is the"special people" that use the LELT TURN ONLY coned lane at 3rd street to blaze through so that they beat you to Hilltop Parkway & US 40 intersection by a maximum of 1 to 2 minutes..and lets not forget the West Bound side of things once it opens up those that want to try to pass you..seems some drivers just cann't break those bad habits or "get over themselves"..be patient and most of all be safe
May 18, 2010 at 5:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
paddlefisher (anonymous) says...
yampa boy just asking are you blogging while driving through town..on offence but your comment sure sounds like it..lol
May 18, 2010 at 6:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yampavalleyboy (anonymous) says...
paddlefisher, you're a buddy of mine from way back when. How did you know I was blogging while driving? Now my cover is blown. Damn. What do you think of the brick pavers? You've been here long enough, and you've driven some big trucks too. What say you?
May 18, 2010 at 8:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
George_Krawzoff (anonymous) says...
Okay, this project hasn't gone well so far and certainly not as planned. I'm sorry for that. If you'd like to take my place on the Transportation Commission, and earn the $75/meeting twice a month, please submit your real name to me or to the Governor. No promises but I'm open to offers.
Now, somebody please tell me where the armchair quarterbacks were when this project was planned publicly during the period 2005 to 2010? As the city department head who lost a lot of arguments concerning this project before resigning in March 2007 (brilliant timing in retrospect), I didn't see YampaValleyBoy at those meetings. It's impossible to say for sure, anonymity being what it is, but I'd be really surprised if any of you are Tracy Barnett, Cami Bunn, or the other 1/2 dozen that routinely came. If you don't participate then you get the best efforts of those who do.
If you'd like more information about why the project was designed as it was and why this promises to be an attractive and effective project once all is said and done, go to the public meeting on Thursday evening. (I will not be back from the Wednesday/Thursday Commission hearings in Denver so I will not be on hand to accept wrath in person. Sorry. Your written wrath will have to suffice so let fly!)
As for pounding concrete, salt, or sand, this statement suggests an obscenity to my ear so I decline.
Finally, I am not a life-long Steamboat resident but this is the wettest, coldest spring season I've experienced in my 14 years here. The ski area looks like it shut down yesterday and we're talking about a big run-off because of the delayed warm weather. Yes, April and May always have cold and wet days but let's be honest about this season being unusually so.
May 18, 2010 at 10:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
paddlefisher (anonymous) says...
I totally agree with you..it makes no sense but it sure looks pretty..come to think of it there has been several things done over the years that don't make sense
May 19, 2010 at 6:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yampavalleyboy (anonymous) says...
George, (again, I like your new "new" look) As I have said, the public has a right to expect excellence from the "PROS". I know why Tracy was there, she had a job to do.
The question is...does the public need to get involved in the "minutia" of a project such as this?
I guess the answer is yes. Live and learn.
As far as the weather is concerned, as I've said before, I'm thankful for the moisture. They (people from Routt County Advising) should have known better. Aug-Oct 31 is ALWAYS DRYER.
ps: you can keep your State job
May 19, 2010 at 12:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TWill (anonymous) says...
"If you don't participate then you get the best efforts of those who do."
What is this, a preschool tee-ball game?
Is that how low the standard has been set for our public officials? Forget competency, efficiency and public impact- we now just get their "best". Unbelievable!
I assume that the out of town crews are being paid for their weather days off, so that means that a 45 hour "work" week is really closer to 20 hours of actual production.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
May 19, 2010 at 1:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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