Ark Valley News - Meridian opens, but roadwork continues

Meridian opens, but roadwork continues
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: August 13, 2015

The road is open.

Three lanes of Meridian south of Main Street in Valley Center opened to traffic last week as the new signal lights at the intersection began working and the last of the road striping was applied.

Meridian had been torn up since mid-March.

The $6.7 million construction project isn't finished, however. Crews are now focused on Ford Street (77th North), widening ditches near Meridian to begin installing the rest of the underground stormwater drainage system.

When complete, scheduled for October, the project should remove stormwater from the heart of the city and dump it into a retention pond south of Ford, where it will be pumped into the nearby Little Ditch.

Meridian was narrowed to three lanes from four, providing lanes in both directions and a middle turning lane. It widens to four lanes south of Clay.

Crews also installed a new sidewalk on the east side of Meridian. They were working this week on a stretch of sidewalk bordering Ramsey from Meridian to Ford.

When complete, the sidewalk will connect Meridian with the Prairie Lakes and Brookfield neighborhoods.

Here is the city's weekly project update:

Current status of construction

•Full width of Meridian is open to traffic including intersections and drives. Traffic signals at Main and Meridian are operational.

•Access to businesses along Ramsey is open with access from Meridian. Access to homes and businesses along Ford is open through Dollar General parking lot from Ramsey. Ford is currently closed to through traffic directly east of bridge over floodway to Meridian. Work along Ford scheduled through October.

•Pond grading ongoing south of Ford working from the south end of the detention pond towards the north.

•Concrete construction at pump station ongoing. Concrete outfall structure construction ongoing.

•Pavement demolition along Ford ongoing starting at Meridian working eastward. Storm sewer construction to start at the pond and work westward to connect to existing system at Ramsey.