Woodbury Drive Project Slated For 2013

The Washington County Board approved a design contract Tuesday for a major reconstruction of Woodbury Drive slated for 2013.

The project—which will widen the road and add turn lanes from just south of Valley Creek Road to just south of Bailey Road—will be similar to the reconstruction of Radio Drive in 2007, said Cory Slagle, an engineering and construction manager for Washington County.

With 10,000 to 13,000 vehicles using the roadway per day, it’s getting to the point it needs additional lanes, Slagle said. The road’s pavement condition has also hit the “red zone,” he said, meaning it’s in poor shape.

Part of the approximately $9 million project will be making the roadway more pedestrian friendly and Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, he said.

“We want to improve safety and mobility,” he said.

Installing traffic signals or a roundabout at the Woodbury Drive/Bailey Road intersection will also be part of the project, Slagle said, responding to a question from Commissioner Bill Pulkrabek.

About 100 area residents showed up for an open house on the project March 31, said Commissioner Lisa Weik.

“I thought it was a good discussion,” Weik said. “They’re very creative and very thoughtful, concerned citizens.”

Construction is scheduled to begin in May of 2013 and be complete by fall, Slagle said.

HR Green Company got the preliminary and final design contract for the road with a bid of $1.2 million.

Currently, the roadway lacks left turn lanes, and needs more through lanes for additional capacity. The project will also address drainage problems.

The construction schedule calls for construction plans to be selected by December, with the right-of-way process beginning in February 2012. Construction is to begin in May 2013, and be completed in November of that year.