Ruddell Road project in Lacey could be done by end of month

Paving of a 3-mile stretch of Ruddell Road in Lacey was completed this week, part of a $1.4 million road-improvement project continues on ahead of schedule.

Work began from Pacific Avenue to Yelm Highway in June with the hopes of finishing before school starts in September.

That shouldn’t be an issue, according to city engineer Roger Schoessel, who says the project could be done by the end of the month if the contractor “stays on track and the weather cooperates.”

The contract was awarded this spring to Lakeside Industries, which already had worked on two recent paving projects with the city, including work as a subcontractor on Carpenter Road. The company has administrative offices in Issaquah. One of its 12 divisions is in Lacey.

Paving along the main road finished Friday; crews used grinders to remove two inches of existing asphalt off the road before adding new asphalt.

Paving along arterial roads was done by Tuesday.

Crews will spend the next few weeks adding striping, crosswalks and fog lines and installing raised pavement markers.

“Once that is done, another crew comes through and raises all the buried hardware like manhole lids and utility box covers,” Schoessel said.

Striping is expected to be complete by Aug. 20, with the entire project finishing around Aug. 27.

Traffic will continue to be affected as crews work on striping. Lanes will be restricted at times, depending on where the work is being done.

Before construction, drivers took about 20,000 daily trips on Ruddell Road, according to city figures.

“It’s still going to cause congestion, but it won’t be at the level we witnessed when we were grinding,” Schoessel said. “Everyone has been very cooperative on this.”

Traffic along the corridor “has been really light” as commuters use alternate routes, he said.

The ongoing construction has been an inconvenience for businesses owners near the northern end of the project.

“It’s a little noisy to run the jackhammers and stuff out there, but it’s been all right,” said Shad Mattingly, owner of Mattingly Home Furnishings off Pacific Avenue. “It’s nice now that it’s all paved.”

In addition to noise, the construction made it difficult at times to get delivery trucks in and out, Mattingly said.

The contractor worked around the store’s business hours, he said.

“When they laid down the pavement, they did it between 3 a.m. and 9 a.m. before we opened,” Mattingly said. “We had a half hour delay of getting opened up, but they were trying, that’s for sure.”

ckrotzer@theolympian.com
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