Beginning last Monday, July 8, construction on the Rucker Renewal project is underway, and navigating downtown has now turned into a vehicular version
of hopscotch. Two blocks of Rucker between Everett and Hewitt are closed, one block of Hoyt between Wall and Pacific, and a half a block of California west of Rucker.
The contractor, Jansen Construction, will start by replacing the water main first, followed by the sidewalks and then the roadway.
Beginning Monday, July 15, expect alternating lane closures in each direction at Rucker and Everett. There will also be water line work, expected to
take several weeks and result in multiple 2-4 hour service interruptions.
Businesses will be open per the norm, and the contract in place currently allows for a lit and protected pedestrian footpath, detours or, in a pinch,
an escort through the construction. Ideally, the work will wrap up each day by 5:00 PM but may extend occasionally. City noise ordinances preclude
construction after 10:00 PM, as well as prior to 7:00 AM on weekdays.
Per the City website: “The first permanent Euroamerican settler in the Everett area settled in the project area in 1861, and residential and commercial
development on Rucker came along in the early 1900s. It is likely that some historical materials could be encountered during construction.”
“The prime contractor has an archaeological subcontractor on the project team to address any potentially significant historic findings.”
