Two major traffic arterials bordering the University will be undergoing construction throughout the summer.
Beginning today road crews will be working along East 18th Avenue from Agate to Hilyard Street, causing some traffic delays because of lane closures and shifts. The street will also be closed to westbound traffic from University Street to Agate Street beginning Tuesday. Work should be mostly complete by mid-September, City of Eugene Public Works spokesman Eric Jones said.
“The pavement has badly deteriorated, but not to the point where we have to rebuild the entire road,” he said. Crews will grind down damaged surface asphalt and lay down a smooth new coat. Improvements will also be made to pedestrian sidewalks and bike lanes.
Agate Street will also be undergoing resurfacing from East 13th to 22nd Avenue, but will still be open to two-way traffic. Some on-street parking will be restricted.
Jones said most of the work won’t disrupt traffic, but construction crews are also tentatively scheduled to shut down the intersection of East 18th Avenue and Agate Street on July 24 for roughly a week to rebuild the surface with concrete – a more durable material that will require less future maintenance.
“The most damaging king of wear occurs where vehicles turn and put that kind of tire pressure on the road,” he said. “To repair or replace an intersection is a big disruption, as drivers will see, so using concrete takes more time to dry, but less work down the road.”
Similar intersections are already in place at East 18th Avenue and Hilyard Street after reconstruction last summer.