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February 20, 2015
Upper Kirby Construction
Westheimer Under Construction - Dickey to Kirby 

  

Westheimer Reconstruction: Kirby to Shepherd

Workers made significant progress on storm drainage installation on Westheimer this week. Working from the Dickey intersection west toward Kirby, crews were able to complete the storm installation all the way to Argonne. The final run to Kirby will necessitate shifting traffic control through the Kirby intersection, a process that could take place as early as Monday.

During this phase, eastbound motorists should expect to be transitioned down to one lane around Lake Street and westbound motorists should expect to be transitioned to the south side of the road just west of Dickey. There will be no left turns onto Kirby from Westheimer as this work is completed.

Crews will be pouring concrete through the intersection of Dickey and Westheimer later today and should be able to open up the intersection by mid week next week. A concrete crew will also move in next week to begin framing and pouring the first 300 feet west of Dickey. The roadway will be opened up as the concrete cures and the operation will follow behind storm work to the west. It is expected that by the end of the month crews will be ready to begin working east from Dickey toward Shepherd. 

 

Work heading east toward Shepherd could be impacted by City contractors working on the Shepherd project if they are not free of the Shepherd/Westheimer intersection by the time Upper Kirby contractors get there.  

 

The original plan was to take possession of the intersection of Shepherd and Westheimer on January 5th and begin work on Westheimer from Shepherd west to Persa, however, the City of Houston project on Shepherd between Westheimer and Buffalo Bayou is still working in the intersection and east of the intersection, preventing Upper Kirby work from beginning as planned.    

 

Once the City contractor has vacated the intersection, Reytec has committed the resources necessary to move into the intersection quickly to complete final reconstruction. The original schedule for completion was June of this year, these delays will impact that date though it is uncertain at this point what the extent of that impact will be.    

 

During this first phase of work on Westheimer, motorists should expect to be transitioned down to one lane in either direction on the south side of the street. Once work on the northernmost lanes is complete, traffic will flip for work to begin on the south side of Westheimer.  


Bissonnet Utility Relocation
Existing Pedestrian Realm on Bissonnet

Bissonnet Utility Relocation from Kirby to Buffalo Speedway is now complete along the main lanes. Over the next several weeks, crews will work to restore back-of-curb areas and will begin some final, short duct runs along private property. Lane impacts over this time will be minimal and intermittent. No significant impacts to traffic or driveways is expected during this time.

Once all ducts have been completed, Upper Kirby will turn over the new facilities to Center Point and the telecommunications providers on the street for final relocation and pole removal. Once Center Point Energy and the telecommunications providers have switched service from overhead to underground and removed the wires and wooden poles, Upper Kirby will begin water, sanitary and storm improvements and roadway reconstruction.

Like Kirby, Buffalo Speedway and Westheimer, this project will include a complete pedestrian-oriented streetscape and landscaping plan implemented and maintained in perpetuity by the Upper Kirby Management District. The roadway is not being widened and the existing esplanade is being maintained.

Like was the case on Westheimer, once underground facilities are in place they will be turned over to the utility companies to transfer overhead service to underground. The roadway reconstruction can begin once the utility companies have completed their work (typically around three months from completion of the duct installation). Once roadway work has begun, it will take 10 to 12 months to complete the project.

Look for further updates as the schedule progresses.

 

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.   
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
 
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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.