Undergrounding utilities, parking garage and side streets in line for work
Published in the July 8-21, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Photo by Marty Cheek
Third Street will undergo major renovations including taking out this water fountain beginning the week of July 6 until late August.
Get ready for some construction inconveniences including traffic and parking impact in downtown Morgan Hill during the next several months. With the 2015 Freedom Fest celebrations now ended, street and utility work in the downtown corridor will ramp up significantly starting in mid-July.
The intensified construction schedule might mean an early end to the six-month Complete Streets pilot program implemented Feb. 18. The program’s has been gathering data for a Morgan Hill City Council decision to permanently close two lanes on Monterey Road between Dunne and Main avenues. Because construction work will skew traffic data, the city staff is considering ending the pilot program a month earlier than first proposed, possibly bumping up the council’s vote on whether to make the lanes closure permanent.
The pilot program will “definitely be impacted by construction” as the city is in the midst of evaluating all options for the project, said Maureen Tobin, communications and engagement manager for the city, in an email to council members.
“As soon as the Fourth of July weekend comes to an end, the projects start moving forward at a very fast pace,” Tobin said. “We are doing everything possible to minimize impacts, but there will be impacts.”
Council member Marilyn Librers encouraged the public and business owners to be patient in dealing with traffic delays, noise and dust as the downtown begins its transformation.
“We’re aware it’s going to be an inconvenience for everyone and we’re asking for your patience until it’s all through,” she said. “It’ll be worth the wait. We’ll have a much better downtown.”
The planned downtown improvements should make the downtown a more “contemporary place to be” while there will be constant reminders of Morgan Hill’s heritage, said John McKay, a member of the Morgan Hill Planning Commission as well as the Morgan Hill Downtown Association.
“The improvements should add to the character of the downtown without changing the feel that most of us have come to cherish and expect,” he said.
The Monterey Road Streetscape project is scheduled to begin July 13. During phase 1 which is planned to run until Aug. 21, the buffered bike lane and the parking on Monterey Road will be unavailable because trenching work will take place adjacent to the sidewalk from Dunne to Main avenues. During this phase, vehicle traffic will continue to use the lane closest to the median. Work is scheduled to take place 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Some work will take place from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
During phase 2, which runs from Aug. 21 to Oct. 20, vehicle traffic will be moved to the lane closest to the sidewalk. The lane closest to the median will be closed to traffic as construction crews work on the median and trenching. Vehicle access and pedestrian access will not be impacted, but there will continue to be no bike lane during this phase, Tobin said. All Monterey Road parking will be available during this phase.
From July 6 to the week of Sept. 7, Third Street will endure a significant transformation with construction including planting trees, drainage work, and taking out the water fountain and adding new street lights.
Utility undergrounding work on the east side of Monterey will include the parking lots between First and Second streets and Second and Third streets. Downtown parking during the day will be impacted during the trenching for this part of the project which is expected to last from Aug. 17 to Sept. 11 for the parking lot between First and Second streets and from Sept. 7 to Oct. 9 for the lot between Second and Third streets.
The schedules will be updated regularly and available at www.morgan-hill.ca.gov.
