By N. BRADFORD
Reporter News Staff
Ongoing work at the Dixie Farm and Broadway intersection is moving along — even though it may not seem that way, city officials say.
“One of the reasons is we can only work from 9 to 4, so a lot of people don’t see them out there,” said Jameson Appel, assistant director of capital projects.
Crews have hit some snags in the project, including dealing with a conflicting plumbing line and franchise utilities, which requires getting respective utility companies involved.
“There were some private plumbing lines that had to be moved that we didn’t realize were there,” Appel said.
Mayor Kevin Cole said council members have been asked about the intersection, but snags during construction are not uncommon.
“You open up the ground and there’s a gas line — you know it’s there, you just don’t know the depth,” he said. “That happens during construction. It’s not anyone’s fault.”
August remains the goal for completion. Begun in February, the project includes widening and addition of left turn lanes to improve traffic flow.
Updates on ongoing and planned city projects were detailed on June 26 at a session on the city’s capital improvement program, a continuing plan that lays out major expenses over the coming five years.
Other transportation improvements happening in 2023 include $2.1 million in sidewalk connections and construction through a Safe Routes to School plan and upgrades to traffic signals on the Magnolia corridor.
Looking forward, a $13.5 million expansion of Bailey Road from Veterans to Main is set for 2025.
