Westbound traffic along Battlefield Road will be reduced to a single lane between Delaware Avenue and Fremont Avenue beginning 9 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 5 for the relocation of a utility vault beneath the roadway. The closure is anticipated to last approximately four weeks as contractors for AT&T relocate the vault to facilitate the construction of an additional northbound turn lane as part of the Battlefield and Fremont Intersection and Roadway Improvement Project.
Motorists should expect delays and consider seeking an alternate route.
Approved by voters in 2016, the project will involve the widening of Fremont Avenue to five lanes between Battlefield Road and Sunset Street. Improvements will also be made at the Battlefield Road and Fremont Avenue intersection, with traffic signal upgrades and additional turn lanes.
“The overall goal of the project is to increase capacity and improve traffic flow in one of our busiest retail areas,” explains Public Works project manager Jonathan Peitz. “Widening Fremont north of Battlefield and providing an additional northbound lane is expected to help reduce the bottlenecks along Battlefield.”
Pedestrian improvements will include new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks along the east side of Fremont Avenue and a multi-use path on the west side. City Utilities will install new steel streetlight poles on the east side of Fremont Avenue in conjunction with the roadway project.
The estimated construction cost for this phase of the project is $3.1 million, funded through the City’s ¼-cent Capital Improvement Sales Tax. Completion of the project is anticipated in November.