With its black shiny surface and an adjacent sidewalk construction nearing completion, Hammer Road appears almost ready to reopen.

Thursday, August 26, 1999

With its black shiny surface and an adjacent sidewalk construction nearing completion, Hammer Road appears almost ready to reopen.

But Hammer won’t meet its scheduled early September reopening.

&uot;It won’t open until the latter part of September,&uot; City Engineer Dave Olson said of the $800,000 reconstruction. &uot;We’re waiting on street lights right now.&uot;

Olson said his staff was expecting contractors to complete the construction within weeks, but was recently notified that delivery of the lights was delayed by the contractor, Miller Bern.

But minor delays are expected during major construction projects, he said, adding contractors will apply the final bituminous surface during the second week of September.

The road construction included resurfacing, curb and gutter and changes in its incline. When completed, the wider roadway will provide a safer entrance road to Albert Lea’s new high school, complete with turning lanes.

&uot;The big thing is it will be wider and safer for the new school,&uot; Olson said early this summer of the new high school.

The other remaining unfinished road project is reconstructing Richway Drive from Bridge to Garfield avenues.

&uot;They (construction crews) will be pouring the curb and gutter starting Aug. 30,&uot; Olson said. &uot;We will be putting on the bituminous surface the week of Sept. 30.&uot;

He said a completion date is expected around the middle of September.

In total, there were nine construction projects this year at a cost of $2 million.