Construction on the Corner of Woburn and Alabama Streets

The construction on the north-east, right-hand turn off of Alabama Street onto Woburn Street has just finished removing the sidewalk, and is currently constructing a new curb, gutter, and sidewalk, according to Shane Oden, City of Bellingham’s project engineer.

            The City approved this construction in order to make it a safer street to turn onto for trucks, buses, and other cars that have difficulty turning, according to Oden.

            “The goal of the project is to increase the size or the curb return radius (corner) so that buses and trucks can make safe turning movements,” Oden said.

            In order to accomplish this, the right lane at that intersection has been closed down, and the traffic signal, storm water system, light pole, and crosswalks will all need to be rearranged to better suit the new street corner and increase safety for drivers turning onto Woburn Street, according to city data.

            Some residents of Alabama Hill are grateful that this project is happening due to how difficult it is to turn onto Woburn from Alabama Street, according to Ashley Zuck, a resident of Alabama Hill.

“You have to go out, and then turn. If you kind of miss it, you go into the other lane,” Zuck said.

The north-east corner of Alabama Street and Woburn Street is so small, which is the main cause of difficult turning on that corner, according to Zuck.

However, not all residents even noticed it to be a problem, and would have rather seen construction on other key areas of the city.

            “I never thought it was a problem,” Tracy Jackson said. “I’m sure they probably could have used construction on other roads somewhere else.”

            There are other roads that need more attention than this particular corner, and the City could have used the money to fix holes or other things like that, according to Jackson.

            Traffic has also been a minor issue with the construction due to the fact that the right lane has and will be closed down for the remainder of the construction, according to Oden.

            The traffic has been very minimal, and the flaggers aren’t need regularly, according to Oden.

            However, other citizens have been finding their daily commute to take a little longer when travelling down Alabama Street.

            “It just takes a little longer to get through,” Zuck said of her daily commute down Alabama Street.

            .Once the sidewalk is complete there will be a 30 day delay in construction in order to receive a new light pole, according to Oden.

Once the new light pole is received it will only take about a day to install and complete the remainder of the construction. No specific date has been given for the finish of the construction, according to Oden.

The project in total is going to cost $148,442.25, according to city data.

The funding for this project is being pulled from the City’s Transportation Benefit District (TBD) fund, according to Oden.

The TBD fund collects local tax dollars from a levy passed back in 2010 meant for non-motorized, Whatcom Transportation Authority, and street overlay improvements such as this current project, according to Oden.

            Construction on the corner of the Alabama and Woburn streets began on November 18, 2013, according to city data.

            The contract to construct this area was awarded to the contractor Sail Electric and a notice to proceed with the construction was issued on November 12, 2013, according to city data.

The construction contract awarded to the project is for 15 days, but it may have to be extended due to holidays and weather situations, according to Oden.

The issue was brought to the City’s attention by Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA), whose buses were having trouble safely turning the corner, according to Oden.

            “The issue that prompted this project was an inadequate curb return radius on the NE corner.  In other words, the corner was too small and WTA busses have always had a hard time making a right hand turn and staying in their lane,” Oden said.

            Oden’s team has so far completed two parts of the project: they have removed the old sidewalk and have fixed the underground electrical work, according to Oden.          

            So far the project has had no hiccups in the road, and they are expecting no major hiccups to occur for the remainder of the project, according to Oden.