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Some preliminary activity has begun and the work will soon begin in earnest on Ely’s most significant summer infrastructure initiative - the $4.2 million Harvey Street Project.
“There will be a lot of work starting in short order in a couple of weeks,” said Harold Langowski, Ely’s city clerk-treasurer.
The project is being coordinated by St. Louis County, and will run from Central Avenue to Ninth Avenue East, although the city is also tying in with some work of its own.
Langowski met with county officials and contractors for a preconstruction meeting earlier this month and said “this project will be stepped into two phases, the first phase being from Central to Fourth Avenue East.”
Some blasting will be required in the initial phase and contractors are engaging residents along the route to complete a pre-blast survey to note any potential damage.
“If you see Northeast Technical Services pickups along the route and in this area, that’s what they are doing,” said Langowski. “If you did get a notice, please contact them to have that survey completed. They plan on having those completed by mid-June.”
During the week of June 2, traffic control will begin and Langowski added “they will mill off the bituminous starting Wednesday, June 4.”
Around the same time a water main will be installed on First Avenue East between the alleys of the Senior Center and the Ely Steam Bath and city crews will begin work on Conan Street and Second Avenue East.
“We did start removing sidewalks,” said Langowski. “Part of our work will be replacing sidewalks and also removing stumps on both the north and south sides.”
Casper Construction was awarded the construction bid for the project last month.
Residents can keep track of the project via updates that can be found on the county’s website.
The city will also offer a link to those updates on its website at www.ely.mn.us.
The first phase is expected to last into late-July, with a second phase from Fourth to Ninth Avenue to begin around July 24.
Harvey Street will be closed during the project, with some intersections open.
“During construction, Fourth and Eighth Avenues will be open, while the other avenues will be depending on the work schedule,” said Langwoski.
Langowski said he has been in contact with the county about major events including the July 4 parade, the Blueberry/Art Festival and major baseball tournaments.
The project has been in the works for years and design calls for two, 11-foot driving lanes with an eightfoot parking lane on each side, along with curb and gutter work.
It also includes sidewalk replacement on both the north and south sides of the street, except where there is no sidewalk currently, which is on the south side between Seventh and Ninth Avenue East.
“The first week of June is when you’ll start seeing some activity, with the bulk of the work happening between Central and Fourth,” said Langowski.
