Second phase of Fifth Street improvements to break ground this summer

The city hopes to be able to break ground on phase two of the Fifth Street corridor improvements by late summer.

The project, which will encompass five blocks, is expected to take 18 to 20 months to construct. Unlike earlier phases of work, the affected area of Fifth Street will remain partially open to traffic throughout, although significant disruptions will still occur.

The city held a public meeting Monday to brief community members on what to expect; roughly 15 people attended excluding city officials and project engineers.

“This is a 10-year plan and we’re well on our way to finishing in 10 years,” City Planner Tom Martin said during the presentation, referring to the city’s Fifth Street master plan. “But it does take time and there will be growing pains along the way, some of which we will talk about tonight.”

The city’s Fifth Street master plan is a three-phase project. The first phase, which included the roundabout at Federal Street, was completed in 2009. The second phase, which will stretch between Harrison and Main streets, is currently under design.

The city hopes to start construction in August. Work will include upgrading underground water and sewer lines, installing new brick-edged sidewalks, consolidating overhead power lines and introducing new features such as trees, streetlights, benches and crosswalks.

“We’re really looking forward to getting it done and moving onto phase three,” said Eddie Claiborne, president of the Fifth Street Community Development Corp., a citizen advocacy group.

Phase two is already fully funded. The streetscape improvements carry a budget of about $393,000. The water and sewer upgrades, which are funded separately by the Utilities Department and represent by far the more intensive part of the project, are expected to cost more than $2.2 million.

The utility improvements include replacing 110-year-old water pipes that run under Fifth Street, sliding new liners into the sewer pipes and outfitting the corridor with entirely new storm water infrastructure that supports the goals of the combined sewer overflow program.

The construction zone will be partially closed to traffic, but one lane will remain open for the duration of the project. Officials said that only southbound traffic — or traffic moving away from downtown — will be allowed through. Northbound vehicles will be rerouted to either 8th or 12th streets depending on their destination.

The disruption to traffic flow combined with the length of the construction period caused some heartburn among people in the audience.

“My business is event driven,” said Debby Ruffin, owner of the James River Conference Center, which is only accessible from Fifth Street. “… When the phone rings, we’ve got to work. And we need all of it we can get.”

Ruffin added that Christmas and prom season are both boom periods for her venue. “If you shut me down then, I’m dead in the water,” she said.

Project officials stressed they did not want to harm Fifth Street businesses and asked people to let them know what their needs and schedules are so that accommodations can be made.

“Those are the kinds of things that are important to us,” said Trent Warner, whose engineering firm, Guffey Warner & Associates, is designing the project. “… Please make sure you put that on a comment card so we can incorporate it.”

Scott Parkins, an engineer with the city’s Utilities Department, said construction can be staggered in a way that ensures that traffic will still be able to access businesses. Officials can also try to schedule work around peak seasons for individual businesses if they know of the needs ahead of time, he said.

The city plans to put the construction contract out to bid within the next one to three months. Once a contractor is hired, another community meeting will be held in order to let the public meet with the company’s representatives.