Lakeshore Drive Road is Open

Project Update: March 17, 2023

Lakeshore Drive is open during the final stages of construction. 

Project Update: March 9, 2023

As we look forward to wrapping up these projects, we wanted to give you a brief update.

Project 1, Lakeshore Water & Sanitary Project – As you know we are waiting for appropriate conditions to pave, to give you the best finished product. This is inclusive of temperature and moisture. As of today, March 9^th, we anticipate being able to complete the paving left over from this project by March 17^th. There is a possibility that it may need to be extended. We are watching the temperature, overnight lows, and rain/snow projections to complete this project. When we met last week with the contractors it showed sunshine with a few dry days and good temperatures to provide a window of paving opportunity. We will keep you posted.

Project 2, Lakeshore Pedestrian & Pavement Project- As you know we are waiting for appropriate conditions to pave, to give you the best finished product. This is inclusive of temperature and moisture. As of today, March 9^th, we anticipate being able to complete the paving left over from this project by March 17^th. There is a possibility that it may need to be extended. We are watching the temperature, overnight lows, and rain/snow projections to complete this project. When we met last week with the contractors it showed sunshine with a few dry days and good temperatures to provide a window of paving opportunity. We will keep you posted.

You will also see streetlight bases and sidewalk/bicycle path poured in the next couple weeks as well. This of course does not affect the road opening.

Project Update: January 26, 2023

Clarification for our citizens. Many of you are not aware the work being done on Lakeshore is two distinct projects which are being constructed back-to-back by two separate contractors.

Project No. 1 was Lakeshore Water and Sanitary Project. Started September 2022 and was completed December 2022.

Project No. 2 is Lakeshore Pedestrian and Pavement Project. Started November 2022 and is scheduled for completion March 2023.

Why may you ask are they back-to-back? The timeline is driven by federal funding through a Surface Transportation Block Grant Program.

Project No. 1 was funded partially American Rescue Plan Act funds and utility fees. The project start date was delayed by two weeks, as waiting to hear back from USDA on possible funding, which we did not receive. This project consisted of installing water and sewer mains from the intersection at Goerig down to Island Aire. We installed approximately 2,200 feet each of water and sewer mains. The project encountered unforeseen conditions that affected the project completion timeline. There were unknown underground utilities, inclusive but not limited to a sleeve that extends under Interstate 5, storm drains owned by WSDOT and poor subgrade conditions. Additionally, trenching was anticipated to be 6’-8’ deep on average, yet there were some locations where we had to excavate 12 feet! Thus, we were forced to close the entire roadway down vs. originally one lane closure with flagging. We had a bonus of a shift in weather that does not allow for paving in sub weather conditions. The contractor remained withing the allotted timeline for completion.  Scroll through the slideshow of images below.

Project No. 2, “Lakeshore Pedestrian and Pavement Project” consists of 10’ bike and pedestrian path, grind and overlay of asphalt and stormwater infrastructure. The contractor was given notice to proceed in early November to begin working behind Project No. 1.

Recently you may have noticed there was a two week period of time when there was no one on site. This is due to electrician availability to install the conduit and electrical for the streetlight bases associated with the project. Additionally, the changes in pavement repair and replacement is all required to be reviewed and approved by the City, their Engineer, and WSDOT. This takes some additional time for review and paperwork submittals on Federally funded projects. One of the most significant impacts to this project schedule is the asphalt plants shut down during the winter. We follow WSDOT paving standards, and this could not be done during the lower temperatures.

We understand the frustration of the project delays; however, we certainly look forward to completing these two projects and delivering an excellent finished product to our residents and visitors.

The grant funding and state funding received extended the city’s road funds of approximately $130K to nearly $2M! We would not have been able to do these projects without state and federal funding.

PROJECT UPDATE: December 20, 2022

Dates for Road Closure Update: September 12, 2022 - March 2023

Our Lakeshore Water & Sanitary in addition to our Lakeshore Pedestrian and Pavement Project have experienced delays.

We have experienced unexpected underground utilities, poor existing subgrade conditions, and added streetlights to the project(s). While the delays are not welcomed, they are necessary to provide you with a finished product that will last.  Please understand that these are federally funded GRANT projects and require extensive amounts of inspections and paperwork for funding. The contractors are provided a specific timeframe to complete the projects based on their Notice to Proceed.  They are well within the scope of projected completion time, and we are pleased with their performance.

We are pursuing creative options to minimize the on-going detour, inclusive of spending additional dollars to limit the detour for Island Aire Drive residents and Oaks Mobile and RV Park. However, please understand that it takes time to revise plans from unforeseen circumstances, especially when dealing with government funding. The current schedule points toward late February/early March completion dates. We apologize for the inconvenience; however, we will provide the city with a much-improved Lakeshore Drive at little cost to the citizens. The construction is FULLY funded through grants. Thank you for your patience.

Please check back periodically, as we will update the website as the schedule is adjusted.

Posted September 1, 2022

Project Number 1: Lakeshore Water & Sanitary Improvement Project

Project Number 2: Lakeshore Grind and Overlay and Pedestrian Path

Dates for Road Closure: September 12, 2022 - December 25, 2022

Timeline for Road Closures

• Phase 1 - Sept 12- Sept 19, 2022 - Goerig Street will be closed for construction at Exit 21 on ramp stop light to Lakeshore Drive. Please use alternate routes.

• Phase 2 -Sept 20 - Sept 29, 2022 - Lakeshore Drive is closed from Goerig Street to the Park and Ride entrance.

• Phase 3 - Sept 30 - Nov 25, 2022 - Lakeshore Drive is closed from the Park and Ride entrance to Park Road (Horseshoe Lake Park).

• Phase 4 - Oct 21 - Nov 25, 2022 - Lakeshore Drive is closed from Park Road to Island Aire Drive.