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Construction crews hindered by the surly weather in recent weeks are back at work on the segment of Soquel Avenue that connects Santa Cruz, Live Oak and Capitola.
Joel Lacagnin, senior civil engineer with the county public works department, said the overall goal of the project is to increase traffic capacity at the segment located between where the road crosses Highway 1 and 17th Avenue, by adding a second westbound lane. A sidewalk and bicycle lanes also will be provided for greater pedestrian and bicycle safety.
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| Crews continue the lane expansion work on Soquel Avenue near 17th Avenue on Thursday. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel) |
Work was expected to begin in September and be completed this month, but the start was delayed because crews had to wait for PG&E to remove six utility poles, Lacagnin said.
The recent rains further delayed the project, now expected to be completed by February or March.
"I would say they're close to 50 percent done," he said. "They're making good progress this week because of the good weather."
The project, which involves an approximately 1,300-foot segment of Soquel Avenue, also will include gutter and drainage improvements, as well as landscaping with drought-resistant plants.
For the first time, Lacagnin said, public works officials created a design that includes two bioswales, or landscape elements that allow for natural filtration. One will be installed near 17th Avenue and the other at the east end of the project, and both will provide irrigation to the new landscaping by directing the flow of water from the curb and gutter onto the trees and plants.
The public works department did the engineering and advertised the project to contractors and will inspect the project when it's complete, Lacagnin said. However, funding for the $740,000 project, which was awarded to Pavex Construction, is being provided by the county's redevelopment agency. Source : mercurynews
