By John Dobberstein, Editor
City officials are making preparations to close the intersection of Olive Avenue and Houston Street next week as a road-widening project for Houston begins.
The closure is slated for Jan. 29 and will last about 3 months. The city said drivers who use Olive should use detours on Kenosha and Washington streets. Drivers on Houston Street will be allowed through the intersection but left and right turns onto Olive will be restricted.
Charlie Bright, the city’s director of engineering and construction, said Becco Contractors’ crews have a narrow space to work in with homes, business and drainage located near the intersection, which necessitated the closure on Olive. The drainage under the intersection must be improved in addition to the road itself.
The widening of Houston was approved by the 2018 General Obligation Bond.
Houston Street will be widened to five lanes from Olive to Garnett Road in the $5.7 million project, which is expected to take a year.
The improvements are expected to greatly improve traffic flow through the area for local drivers and commuters heading to Highway 169 and beyond. The city completed a similar project several years ago on Washington to increase it to five lanes from Garnett to Aspen Avenue.
You can hear more about the closure here.
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