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The Hillcrest Drive Rehabilitation project in Bartlesville, which got underway in April, continues to progress ahead of schedule despite several days of heavy rainfall and localized flooding issues.

With this project continuing with classes now in session at Bartlesville High School, Councilman Trevor Dorsey advises all drivers to use caution or an alternative route. Dorsey said it may be causing headaches for some, but the project will be worth it in the end. He asks everyone to take their time and be safe in the area.

The $2.2 million Hillcrest Drive Rehabilitation project, approved by voters in the 2013 Half-cent Capital Improvement Projects Election, involves reconstructing Hillcrest Drive from the Caney River to just north of 20th Street. The new roadway will consist of two 12-foot-wide drive lanes with six-foot-wide asphalt shoulders. Turn lanes will be provided at Shawnee Avenue and 20th Street, and a pedestrian path in the area will be provided by maintaining some of the existing roadway.

Bartlesville’s Director of Engineering, Micah Siemers, said contractor Brent Bell Construction has done a good job of keeping the project on-schedule despite some unforeseen problems.

The contract essentially calls for the project to be wrapped by late February 2022," Siemers said. "However, the contractor is well ahead of schedule. Some of the milestones have been moving targets as we run into unforeseen utility conflicts and there are always modifications to the design during construction based upon actual field conditions, but I anticipate that we will be finished with this project by the end of this calendar year."

Siemers said 43 days work have been lost due to weather conditions, and more work than expected was required to deal with flooding issues at the site.

"We are only on Day 93 of the contract and 43 of those have been lost to weather," he said last week.

"The contractor has done an outstanding job in doing whatever it takes to make up for those days of lost work, including working weekends and other non-traditional 'work days,' and staying ahead of schedule on this project.

"Also, we are working in the floodplain with really flat surrounding grades that don’t drain well, and the contractor has done a good job of getting the site to drain better than we could have expected. But there have still been periods of time it was just too wet to work."

Siemers said the first phase of the project includes construction of the mainline of the new roadway along with the reconstruction of the 20th Street intersection and connection to the existing alignment just north of 20th Street.

"The subgrade work is complete on that section and they placed separator fabric and began placing the aggregate base last week," he said. "I anticipate that it will take two weeks to get all of the aggregate base placed, compacted and cut to grade. They should be pouring curb and gutter at 20th Street during that period as well."

He said that once the aggregate base is finished and curb and gutter is complete, contract crews will either lay the bottom lifts of asphalt on all of the areas with aggregate base, or "they may begin work on the transition/connection to the existing roadway on the south end of the project just north of the river," which is Phase 2 of the project.

He said this phase will involve additional road closures, which motorists should expect in the coming weeks.

"We will either close Hillcrest completely for up to three weeks or close one lane of traffic with temporary signals to maintain two-way traffic while they work on that section of the project," he said. "Neither are good options for users, but closing it completely would make the disruption a shorter duration. We are weighing it all out. This is likely to occur toward the end of August or early September."

Siemers said after the south connection is completed, contract crews will lay the remaining asphalt and/or lay all of the asphalt on the mainline, depending on how the work is scheduled.

"Once that work is complete, which I would estimate to be sometime around early October, they will shift traffic to the new roadway, opening up 20th Street and close down Shawnee, and work on the turn lane at Shawnee and extending Shawnee to the new roadway," he said. "This could be considered Phase 3."

Phase 3 also includes fine grading and cleanup in the right-of-way, which will mostly be done simultaneously with Phase 2.

Siemers also reminds motorists that reduced speed limits are in effect in the area until the work is complete.

"The speed limit is 30 mph on Hillcrest in the project area and there is an increase in traffic volume near the high school now that classes have resumed for the year, so it's important that everyone slow down and use caution as always," he said. "Regardless of whether we close the road completely for the next phase or reduce to one lane of traffic, I recommend taking an alternate route if possible.”

Photo courtesy: City Beat