The intersection of Busch and Lucas streets will be closed to traffic starting today, Monday, July 11, as part of Phase 5 of the West Hill Sanitary and Storm Sewer Separation Project according to officials at the Department of Public Works. It is anticipated that the closure will last six weeks.
In order to maintain access to the residents of Busch Street, the City of Muscatine obtained permission from the owner of property located at the end of Greenwood Drive to use that private property to construct a connector path from the alley behind Busch Street to the end of Greenwood Drive. The path has been completed but is open to local traffic only.
Using the route from Lucas down Greenwood Drive to the connector to the alley and to Busch provides access to all the homes on Busch during the Lucas intersection closure. Once the Busch-Lucas intersection is reopened, the temporary access road will be removed and reseeded to return it to its original condition.
Since the temporary access area runs next to a ravine, there have been problems in the past with people using that area to dump trash and other materials. If ay such activity is witnessed during this period of use to access Busch Street please notify the Police Department.
Work on repaving the West 8th and Lucas intersection will also resume next week following the completion of underground work by Muscatine Power & Water. Repaving is also expected for the Climer Alley. The paving is expected to take two weeks, weather permitting. Once completed, West 8th Street will be completely open.
Lucas Street will continue to be closed at the West 8th intersection as underground work continues toward Busch Street and will begin soon heading toward Green Street.
Underground work on Climer Street is making progress toward High Street as Haggerty Earthworks works in short sections to minimize disruption of accessibility to resident homes in the work area. Once the contractor completes work through the High Street intersection, underground operations will move to Logan while Climer is repaved from High to West 8th.
GRANDVIEW AVENUE
The Grandview Avenue intersection with Houser and Sampson remains closed to traffic with most underground work crossing Grandview completed. This is the final major intersection of the Grandview Avenue Reconstruction Project with Heuer Construction, Inc., anticipating that two-way traffic on Grandview will be restored by August 1, weather permitting.
The full closure of the intersection will be implemented on Sampson east of the Canadian Pacific Railroad crossing, Houser north of the Mittman intersection, Mittman just south of the intersection with Houser, Grandview 200 feet south of the intersection with Houser-Sampson, and Grandview from the Cheri Top south.
Access to all Grandview Avenue businesses south of the Musser intersection to the Houser-Sampson intersection will be from the intersection with Musser.
Through traffic coming from the south will be detoured west onto the Highway 61 by-pass to the Hershey exit and then to Mississippi Drive, or east on Dick Drake Way to Stewart Road/Oregon and back to Grandview.
The final section of Grandview will be rocked and prepped for paving starting Monday (July 11). Tentative plans are to have Grandview Avenue completely open for two-way traffic once the new pavement cures, but the Sampson and Houser legs of the intersection will remain closed as they will be reconstructed after Grandview is opened.
The Grandview Avenue Reconstruction Project remains on schedule. Once the roadway is completed, Heuer will complete sidewalks, driveways, and landscaping in each of the two phases. The project is tentatively scheduled to wrap up November 2022.
FULL DEPTH PATCHING BEGINS ON ISETT
Removal and replacement of sections of the Isett Avenue pavement continue as the final segment of the 2021-2022 Full Depth Patching program. Heuer Construction, Inc., are repairing areas of the Isett Avenue pavement from the Heinz pedestrian crossing to Clay Street.
Drivers are urged to slow down, obey traffic control devices, watch out for construction workers, and plan for extra time when driving through the construction zone. Please find alternate routes of travel if possible.
The City of Muscatine and the Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, wear seat belts, and be aware of construction workers. Use an alternate route if possible.
Click on CONSTRUCTION to visit the Department of Public Works Construction Projects page where more information can be found on City of Muscatine construction projects. An interactive map is available showing current street closures and street work.
If you have a comment or concern, please email feedback@muscatineiowa.gov or pwrequest@muscatineiowa.gov. A staff member will respond within 24 hours.