City Hopes Coolidge Construction Begins Next Week

City Manager Alex Allie began the week to repave Coolidge Highway and Monday’s hazardous winds proved to be enough to set the process back.

After the planned start date of Tuesday was postponed, and then an rescheduled start-date of Thursday fell through, Project Manager Larry Harworth said today that Coolidge is expected to officially close by “Tuesday or Wednesday, if not sooner.”

The delays are all part of the territory when it comes to road work, Harworth said.

“Dates do change in construction. Once we get going and get the shovel in the ground, things will happen by the dates we first announced,” he said.

Harworth said the issue is scheduling with subcontractors, specifically getting the detour and construction signs up.

“One job gets behind, the whole line gets behind,” he said, adding that it wasn’t intentional, just part of the process.

While the crews are working to get things back on track, Harworth is hoping that nature doesn’t delay the process much more this summer. He said “rain days” will completely shut down the project.

“The weather is a big thing; they can’t work in rain because you can’t pour concrete,” he said.

For the question on most people’s minds — When will the project end? — Harworth said the Sept. 15 deadline does give them some extra time to work with.

“There’s always wiggle room. We should be done well before that date, even with this small delay,” he explained. “The majority of the job is expected to be done by Aug. 31, that’s the milestone date.”

The remaining two weeks, then, will go toward “odds and ends” such as landscaping and getting the speed limit signs back up.

Harworth added that everyone on his end is eager to get going, and hoping for a dry summer.