Roundabout tentatively scheduled to open at 5 p.m. on July 27

There will be a lot less detour traffic in Muscatine Monday as both the Mulberry Avenue and 2nd Street Roundabout along with the intersection of 2nd and Cedar streets will be opened to traffic.

Depending on the weather and any other delays to the final steps in the reopening process, Muscatine’s second roundabout will officially open to traffic with the removal of the barricades that is tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m. on Monday, July 27, 2020.

In addition to the roundabout, work on the 2nd Street Streetscape Project at the Cedar Street intersection and at the entrance to Alley #2 on Cedar Street is tentatively scheduled to wrap over the weekend. The intersection and Cedar Street from 3rd Street to Mississippi Drive is tentatively scheduled to be opened for traffic Monday morning.

The detour around the construction sites will also be removed starting at 5 p.m. on Monday.

There will still be some activity in the roundabout area as landscaping is completed and items on the post-construction punch list are addressed. However, the City does not anticipate closing any portion of the roundabout for any extended periods of time as these items are addressed.

The $2.1 million Roundabout Project is one of the final pieces of the Mississippi Drive Corridor Reconstruction Project that began in 2017 with the reconstruction of Mississippi Drive from Broadway to Mulberry Avenue. The final part of that project will be the removal of the power poles along Mississippi Drive by Muscatine Power and Water, which is tentatively scheduled for later this year.

The second stage of the six stage 2nd Street Streetscape Project will begin on Monday, July 27, as KE Flatwork, Inc., begins work in the 200 block of East 2nd Street. The final five stages of the project will include replacing the curb, gutter, and sidewalks on both sides of the street along with some full depth patching in the driving lanes.

The second stage also includes the reconstruction of the 2nd and Sycamore intersection to match the work completed at the 2nd and Cedar intersection. The intersection work is tentatively scheduled to begin after work in the 200 block of East 2nd Street is completed. The south side of the street (river side) will be replaced first with each side expected to take three to four weeks to complete. The north side (city side) is tentatively scheduled to begin on August 24 depending on the weather.

The 200 block of East 2nd Street will remain open during the construction process but reduced to one lane of traffic during construction. Eastbound traffic in the 200 block will be detoured to Mississippi Drive from Sycamore to Cedar while work is undertaken on the south side (river side) of the street. Westbound traffic will be permitted through the construction area and parking will be permitted on the north side of the street.

The lane restrictions will be reversed once work begins on the north side of the street in late August.

The contractor and City project managers are holding meetings with business owners and other interested individuals from that block at 9 a.m. every Thursday to keep everyone up to speed on the progress of the work.

Since the contract with the City does not allow work to continue past October 1 in each year of the two-year project, work on the Sycamore Street and 2nd Street intersection may be postponed until the start of the 2021 construction season. The contractor indicated that, depending on available time, replacement of the curb, gutter, and sidewalks in the 100 block of East 2nd Street may occur before the intersection work.

All dates are tentative and dependent on weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances. Drivers are urged to use caution when proceeding in or around construction areas and to find alternate routes of travel when possible.

Linn Street Closure

Muscatine Power & Water (MPW) will be continuing underground work as part of the Mississippi Driver Corridor Reconstruction Project by closing Linn Street from Mississippi Drive to the #1 Alley along with a portion of the #1 alley at different times. MPW will be moving the overhead 69kV power lines underground between July 13 and August 17.

The project may also restrict traffic on Mississippi Drive during this time period with MPW using flaggers to help maintain traffic flow. An additional project to be conducted later this year will be the removal of the power poles on the river side of Mississippi Drive from the bluff upriver to HNI, providing an unrestricted view of the Mississippi River from the Downtown Muscatine Business District. This was also part of the Mississippi Drive Corridor Reconstruction Project.

All dates are tentative and dependent on weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances. Drivers are urged to use caution when proceeding in or around construction areas and to find alternate routes of travel when possible.

West Hill Sewer Separation Phase 4C

The underground division of KE Flatwork, Inc., has completed work on Linn Street and from Linn Street to the Broadway intersection on 8th Street as work continues on the West Hill Sanitary and Storm Sewer Separation Project (WHSSSSP) Phase 4C. The contractor is now preparing Linn Street for repaving that is tentatively scheduled for next week. Once Linn Street is completed, KE Flatwork, Inc., will work on preparing and paving West 8th Street from Linn to just east of the Broadway intersection.

Work on this stage of Phase 4C is expected to continue to September 2, weather permitting. Once this section is reopened to traffic, the final stage of Phase 4C will begin. The final stage includes the Broadway and 8th Street intersection along with work on Roscoe Avenue and Maiden Lane. The current tentative schedule has all work completed by October 15, weather permitting.

A full closure of West 8th Street from Linn to Broadway, and Linn Street from 7th Street to 8th Street is in effect. Portions of West 8th Street from Iowa to Linn may have lane restrictions as the Phase 4B punch list items are completed.

Traffic is detoured to 7th Street from Cedar to Broadway, and Broadway from 7th Street back to 8th Street. No parking will be allowed on even number side (river side) of 7th Street from Cedar Street to Broadway, or on the east side (odd number) side of Broadway from 7th to 8th Street. The detour route will remain in place until the project is completed in October. There may be a slight change to the detour route once work begins on the final stage of Phase 4C.

All dates are tentative and dependent on weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances. Drivers are urged to use caution when proceeding in or around construction areas and to find alternate routes of travel when possible.

West Side Trail

Heuer Construction has completed work for the West Side Trail project from Hershey Avenue to Crossroads, Inc., with only a section running through the Arbor Commons development yet to be completed. The contractor has opened the completed trail from Hershey to Crossroads, Inc., to public use.

The section through the Arbor Commons subdivision will be finished once pavement work in that development has been completed.

— City of Muscatine

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