Radio Drive repair: No closure, but 'major delays'
The month-long Radio Drive pavement improvement project will require temporary stop signs at one of the busiest intersections in Woodbury, creating long backups during peak travel times.
- Orange cones coming
If you travel Radio Drive near Valley Creek Road, get ready for a major slowdown.
Washington County is set to begin a pavement rehabilitation project Sept. 27 on Radio Drive north and south of the intersection with Valley Creek Road.
The month-long project will require temporary stop signs at one of the busiest intersections in Woodbury, creating long backups during peak travel times.
“This will be major delays,” said Wayne Sandberg, deputy director of Washington County Public Works. “We’ve got a lot of traffic in the area.”
County traffic counts show there could be as many as 50,000 vehicles passing through the Radio Drive-Valley Creek Road intersection daily, said Corey Slagle, Washington County engineering and construction manager.
A contractor will replace the cracking pavement on Radio Drive from Pioneer Drive – near Central Park – north to Donegal Drive, the road north of City Centre that is commonly used to access King of Kings Lutheran Church.
The traffic signals at Radio Drive and Valley Creek Road, Radio Drive and Pioneer Drive, and Radio Drive and City Centre Drive will be shut off for the entire project, replaced with stop signs. Traffic will be limited to one lane in each direction on Radio Drive. Access roads to businesses in the area will remain open.
An alternative proposal from the contractor would have required closing Radio Drive to all traffic, but would have allowed the project to be completed in about a week, rather than four weeks.
The Washington County Board approved the project last spring, but Woodbury City Hall staff only learned of the proposal to close the road early this week, City Administrator Clint Gridley said. The city strongly opposed that plan, he said.
A full Radio Drive closure only was an option, and Washington County did not support it either, Sandberg said.
“I had the same reaction the city did: I just don’t think that’s doable,” he said. “We’ve never tried to force a closure of (Radio Drive).”
The county is the lead agency on the project because Valley Creek Road and Radio Drive are county roads.
Public open house meetings on the project for area residents and businesses are planned for Tuesday, Sept. 21 at Woodbury City Hall, 8301 Valley Creek Road. One open house will be from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., the other from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
There will be no posted detours, but city and county officials are recommending that commuters find alternate routes.
See the upcoming print edition of the Woodbury Bulletin for more on this project.
Tags: daily updates, road construction, washington county, traffic
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