Downtown detours to snarl traffic

Get ready for some downtown gridlock.

Two major street improvement projects on Central Avenue and Second Street kick off this month and will substantially impact downtown traffic. Drivers can expect numerous detours and street closures through November.

“These detours...and the demolition and reconstruction of Casey’s Bar will create traffic detours and bottlenecks,” Whitefish City Manager Chuck Stearns said.

The Central Avenue improvement project starts up today on the northern most block of downtown. The streetscaping work impacts Central from the First Street intersection to Railway Street near MacKenzie River Pizza.

The intersection of Central and Railway is shut off to traffic for the entire length of the project, but is open to pedestrians. Vehicles will hit a dead end at the intersection and will have room to make a three-point turn.

The Tuesdays Downtown Farmers Market will still go on despite the intersection closure. Market goers will be able to access vendors on Depot Street by walking around the construction zone. The market runs through the end of September.

Work is expected to wrap up Nov. 11, with an early end date anticipated for Oct. 22. Crews have a $40,000 incentive to meet the early end date.

Also this month, LHC will start work on the U.S. 93 and Second Street Improvement Project. The first phase will start Sept. 15 and be wrapped up by November. After a winter shutdown, the project will start up again in the spring of 2012.

The improvement project impacts Second Street from Central Avenue west to the 300 block of Second Street near Glacier Cyclery and the Whitefish Pilot office. Two major intersections will be closed, including at Second and Central, and at Second and Baker.

Portions of Spokane Avenue, First Street, O’Brien and Lupfer Avenue will be open to one-way traffic only during construction, which will eliminate on-street parking for those streets.

“We have to fit highway traffic onto smaller city streets,” city project engineer Karin Hilding said.

Northbound traffic on Spokane will be routed past the Whitefish Middle School and will turn west on First and south on O’Brien to get back to Second and U.S. 93 West.

Traffic coming into town from U.S. 93 West will turn south on Lupfer, east on Third and south again on Baker. The roundabout on Lupfer will be taken out to accomodate large trucks and a temporary traffic light will be installed at Baker and 13th Street by The Wave.

Hilding notes that traffic on Baker will be noticeably amplified during construction since trucks headed south have to use the street to get back to U.S. 93 South. There will also be impacts from the detours on Karrow Avenue for people who bypass construction.

Pedestrian access will remain opened throughout the project and all businesses will be signed.

Due to both street improvement projects happening simultaneously, access to the middle school will be difficult. Students are asked to use the east entrance during construction.

There will be a public meeting today at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 402 East Second St. to explain further the construction plans, detour plans, and answer questions from the public.