The start of construction is currently being delayed due to material availability. The City will ensure that the contractor has all the material ready for the crews to start and complete the work without suspension, as the City acknowledges the impact that the detour will have on every individual traveling around the lake, as well as those living in the neighborhoods around Nyanza. The City learned April 22 that the contractor has a ship date for the material needed to start the project.
Pipe and fittings are anticipated to arrive on site the week of Memorial Day. The contractor is expected to start work on June 7, 2021. For the first two weeks, the contractor will work in the island in the SE corner of the Nyanza/Gravelly Lake Drive intersection, including the existing slip lane that took motorists from the I-5 corridor up Nyanza. They will be installing pipe and preparing the existing slip lane to become a two-way bypass route around the construction. During this time, commuters coming from the I-5 corridor up Nyanza will need to come all the way up to the Nyanza/Gravelly traffic signal and turn right, as the slip lane will be blocked off for construction activity.
Beginning the week of June 21, the full detour will be put in place as the contractor will start to remove the intersection of Gravelly/Nyanza in preparation for the new roundabout. The full detour will require all traffic using Gravelly Lake Drive between the south end of Nyanza and Veterans Drive to drive around the north side of the lake past Washington Blvd and turn right at the north end of Nyanza. At that time, traffic will utilize the bypass around the construction and there will be no stopping at the south end of Nyanza as it transitions to Gravelly.
The timelines given above are approximate, as we are all at the mercy of material delivery, weather, and the fallout from the ongoing pandemic. City officials appreciate your patience for the start of this project, and ask for your attention during the construction. We all look forward to the final product being a new roadway for commuters and space for non-motorized users.
