26 Sep Boundary Street: Here come the medians!
Sept. 25, 2017
Contact: Neal Pugliese, Director of Public Projects and Facilities / Military Liaison,
714-470-3512 / npugliese@cityofbeaufort.org
Photo: Artist’s rendering of what the raised, landscaped center median will look like on Boundary Street.
Landscaped medians coming to Boundary Street
Starting Saturday night Sept. 30, crews will begin re-striping Boundary Street to provide lane shifts for the upcoming construction of raised, landscaped center medians. During this initial work, all four lanes of traffic will remain open.
When construction of the medians begins in mid-October with lane restrictions, much of that work will be done at night to minimize traffic disruptions.
Drivers should use extra caution along the Boundary Street corridor work area starting Sept. 30 and be aware of the new lane stripes.
“We are in the homestretch of this important project, and we ask everyone to continue to be patient and cautious in the work zone,” said Neal Pugliese, director of public projects and facilities for the City of Beaufort. “The re-striping will set the stage for all the work to put in the landscaped center medians, and later in the fall we’ll see actual asphalt paving along Boundary.”
The work is one of the last major elements of the $33 million construction project that will impact traffic flow, along with the final paving and striping of the roadway and activation of new traffic signals.
To build the new center medians, crews will dig up that section of existing roadbed, then build raised curbs. Landscaping will occur later, after most of the project is complete, Pugliese said.
“Putting in the center median is a major component of this project, and it’s going to cause some traffic adjustments as we move through Boundary Street in different stages,” he said. “Once it’s done and the new plantings are installed, it’s going to make a world of difference as people drive into historic Beaufort.”
While the median work is starting, crews are wrapping up construction of the duct bank along the northern side of Boundary Street. Once the underground conduits are all in place, utility crews will move their overhead power and communications cables off the poles and place them underground, expected to continue through the end of the year.
At the end of the project, the utility poles will be removed along the affected 1.2-mile section of Boundary Street.
“This whole project is about improving safety, improving access and improving the visual approach to historic Beaufort,” Pugliese said.
Despite delays and challenges caused by Hurricanes Matthew and Irma, and a tropical storm in 2016, the project remains on budget and on schedule for substantial completion in early 2018.
The Boundary Street Project stretches from Neil Road to Sycamore Street at Beaufort City Hall. The project includes realigning the Boundary Street intersection with Robert Smalls Parkway, which was largely completed in mid-2016. Work will continue in that area for the next several months prior to final landscaping, paving and striping.
For more information about the project, visit www.boundarystreetupdate.com.
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