Upper Kirby District Street Talk

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Westheimer Construction

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Upper Kirby District

Upper Kirby Update

April 18, 2014

Upper Kirby Construction

Work Ongoing at Buffalo/Westheimer Intersection

Westheimer

Paving, Drainage and Streetscape Improvements Project:

Overhead utility relocation is ongoing just east of the Buffalo Speedway/Westheimer
intersection this week. Two parallel duct banks are being installed, one to house Center Point Energy lines and one to house telecommunications providers. The Center Point duct is nearing completion and should be finished early next week. The telecommunications duct will begin next week and should be completed by the end of the month.

Crews will not be working today through Sunday in an effort to reduce impact during the busy adjoining church activities this
Easter weekend. Work will resume on Monday and will focus on beginning telecom duct installation and finishing the second bore pit needed to negotiate the duct banks under the existing St. John's tunnel system.

As was the case east of Shepherd, construction will be undertaken in 1000-foot segments. Work on this stretch will impact the two eastbound lanes on the south side of Westheimer. Traffic will be shifted to one lane in either direction through the construction zone. Each 1000-foot segment is expected to take four to five weeks to complete. Once a given segment is completed, it will be restored with asphalt and opened prior to the next segment beginning.

The contract duration on this project is 120 days putting completion somewhere around June/July 2014. Weather permitting, roadway construction between Kirby and Shepherd should be able to begin immediately following utility completion west of Kirby.

CenterPoint and the telecommunications companies will follow behind duct bank construction reconnecting services underground. The duration of this reconnection work will be up to the utility providers though 45 to 90 days is typical. Traffic impact during this work is negligible.

Once the utilities have been removed and the lines brought underground west of Kirby, Upper Kirby will move forward with drainage and underground infrastructure improvements followed by complete repaving of the roadway. The project will also entail the installation of a pedestrian-oriented streetscape similar to the treatment provided on the recent Kirby Drive and Buffalo Speedway projects. This work will first be completed between Shepherd and Kirby followed by an identical scope of work between Kirby and Buffalo Speedway.

Roadway reconstruction is anticipated to last approximately 10 months. Drainage improvement and roadway reconstruction between Kirby and Buffalo will immediately follow and will have a similar approximate duration.

For more information on Upper Kirby construction and related activities or for construction related issues or concerns, please contact Travis Younkin at 713.524.8000 or travis@upperkirby.org.

TxDOT Construction

Buffalo Speedway Inbound/Weslayan Outbound Exits Closed Monday

US 59 Frontage Road Reconstruction

TxDOT crews continued work this week on the reconstruction of the frontage roads on US 59 between 610 and Shepherd. Construction through the Upper Kirby area began last year with curbside lane reconstruction and has again ramped up between Shepherd and Weslayan with inside lane and u-turn reconstruction.

Crews are currently finishing up framing and paving activities inbound between Buffalo Seedway and Kirby and outbound between Kirby and Edloe. Motorists should expect to narrowed down to one lane along the curbside to negotiate around construction areas. Delays should be expected during peak hours.

Crews will be off on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this week in order to reduce impacts over Easter weekend. Monday, April 21, work will resume with scheduled closures of the inbound Buffalo Speedway exit and the outbound Weslayan exit. Inbound motorists should expect to exit Kirby and u-turn to reach Buffalo Speedway destinations and outbound motorists should expect to exit Newcastle and u-turn at the railroad crossing for Weslayan destinations.

Some middle and inside lane work remains throughout the project area and intersection work also has yet to be completed. Intersection work will be restricted to nights and weekends, but will, at times, impact all US 59 intersections between 610 and Shepherd.

Look for weekly updates as this project progresses.

If you have a new business, development or community event that you would like included in the monthly Upper Kirby news, please contact us at 713.524.8000 or submit to streettalk@upperkirby.org

Requests will be posted subject to space availability and appropriateness of content.

Upper Kirby is a constantly evolving urban area marked by an outstanding location, great shopping, unique residential neighborhoods, smart development and a small town feel. It is an area of successful businesses, involved communities and a synergy between the public and private sectors. It is the heartbeat of Houston and everywhere you want to be.