There have been the usual surprises with fuel tanks under the sidewalks by the Blue Moon and phone poles without adequate bracing, but each headscratcher is dispensed with as it arises, and the crews shift to work around the problem.
The electrical team is pushing right along with the sidewalk crews, setting the last pole foundation up by the Rodeo by Wednesday next week and then jumping onto the bridge to run electrical for the lighting on the east side.
If you want to see a “Guppy” in action, one is moving in this week on the north side of the bridge to start pouring lightweight concrete off the ends of the bridge. Once the sewer lines are installed on the south side, the “Guppy” will switch over to start pouring lightweight on that end in a couple of weeks.
Another set of nightwork events will occur on 101 next Monday and Tuesday nights in order to reset barrier pins.
On the bridge itself, while the deck is curing, wingwalls are being poured and next week will see the east side water overlook being formed up. When the project is done, there will be a cantilevered overlook on each side of the bridge for viewing up and down the Hoquarton, hopefully creating an inviting showpiece in the heart of the community.
With all of this preparatory work coming together, we should finally be able to see the new streetscape take shape in three weeks from now as pavers go down, tree grates are installed, along with decorative fences around the new streetside planters.
Hopefully, as the sun comes out more often, all of this effort should reveal some substantial visible progress like a rainbow at the end of a storm.