MENDOCINO Co., 5/10/20 — Work on the Ukiah Streetscape Project continues this week, with ongoing underground work on Standley Street due to some newly discovered utility and fire lines, although Perkins Street is expected to re-open to automobile traffic. The City of Ukiah also plans to resume parking enforcement in the downtown blocks, which had been temporarily paused due to the shelter in place order and the streetscape work.
You can read our previous coverage of the project here. Complete details of the project can be found at this Ukiah Streetscape website, and the city is also updating information on this Facebook page. Here’s the most recent announcement from the City of Ukiah, below, including some answers to frequent questions about the streetscape work:
Here’s the full announcement from the City of Ukiah:
Important, semi-related announcement: Effective Monday, May 11th, parking enforcement will resume in the downtown. We “paused” while many of the businesses were closed, but new Public Health orders will allow for some openings and curbside pickup, so it’s important to preserve those spaces for our customers. Please help spread the word!
Construction Update, Week of May 11: Due to discovering some unexpected underground “treasures” like additional utility and fire lines, construction on Standley Street isgoing to take a couple of extra days. Instead of finishing on Saturday, May 9th, the new anticipated completion date is Wednesday, May 13th. However, Perkins Street is expected to be open to traffic and parking by the end of the day on Saturday, May 9th. Pedestrian access to the businesses will be maintained at all times—please support our local businesses!
Streetscape Utility Construction will also begin on South State Street this week with “potholing,” starting at Church and working north toward Henry Street.
Again, we have shifted the location of the work a bit in order to take advantage of the reduced traffic under the Shelter-In-Place Order. We appreciate the community’s patience with these essential infrastructure projects, and are grateful to have this construction—as well as important housing projects, electric utility undergrounding on Gobbi Street, ADA curb ramps on Dora Street, and others—continue to move forward.
It is important to note that nearly all the funds utilized for projects like these come from dedicated sources that cannot be diverted. For example, the grant money for the Streetscape Project can only be used on this project. Gas Tax funds can only be used on streets projects. Revenue from utilities can only be spent on those utilities. We know that COVID-19 is already having a devastating impact on our economy, and we’re actively seeking grant money for business loans and other types of community support, but these project funds simply can’t be used in that way. Therefore, in the meantime, what we can do is build up the infrastructure around our businesses—new streets, new water and sewer lines, improved electric reliability, etc. Investing in “the bones” of Ukiah and our housing stock will help our community bounce back from this crisis. This is how we rebuild and become more resilient.
Where will the work occur?
Potholing will primarily occur on State Street between Church Street and Henry Street. Underground utility work will take place on the 100 block of Standley between State and School Streets.
What are the construction days/hours?
This week’s construction hours will be Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Will there be night work?
No. There is no night work scheduled this week.
Will there be dust and noise?
Yes. There will be some dust and ongoing disruptive noise.
Will there be road closures?
Yes. Standley between State and School Streets will remain closed to all traffic through May 13th. Pedestrian access and access to all businesses that are open will be maintained at all times.
Will there be any disruptions to parking access or streets?
Yes. Through Wednesday, there will be no through traffic and no parking on the 100 block of West Standley. After that, traffic will be intermittently reduced to two lanes with limitations to parking on South State Street between Church Street and Henry Streets for potholing.
More information can be found online on the City’s website at www.ukiahstreetscape.com or follow our Facebook page for updates and project photos at www.facebook.com/UkiahStreetscape/.
This is the most ridiculous project ever. For the few remaining business’ left there will be very few that will return when Newsom releases our county. Ukiah streets are some of the worse in the country and they are doing a project like this? They can’t maintain what they have. The area is seriously infected by dozens of homeless and no one feels safe. What a joke.