Limestone Work to Begin July 22.Meeting Open to the Public on Tuesday, July 21.
Limestone Street will be closed between Avenue of Champions (Euclid) and Vine Street beginning Wednesday, July 22, as the city begins a comprehensive reconstruction of the street and sidewalks, part of a plan to more closely link the University of Kentucky campus and downtown.
South Limestone will be CLOSED to thru traffic from 200 feet south of Avenue of Champions to Vine Street beginning Wednesday, July 22, 2009.
· There will be NO ACCESS to Avenue of Champions from South Limestone as a result of the closure.
· South Limestone motorists should follow the SIGNED DETOUR inbound along South Limestone to Virginia Avenue to South Broadway to Vine Street. Motorists traveling this route, as well as South Broadway along the detour route should expect significant delays.
· Access to South Limestone from Avenue of Champions will be prohibited as well as a result of the closure.
· Avenue of Champions motorists should follow the SIGNED DETOUR along MLK to Main Street to Upper Street
· High Street and Maxwell Street will not be affected by the closure at this time; however, there will be only local access from either street to South Limestone beginning Wednesday, July 22, 2009.
· Engineers will be monitoring traffic and adjusting signal timing to minimize delays
As part of the current project on Limestone, between the Avenue of Champions and Vine Street, the city plans to add street trees, rain gardens and corridor identity markers made of limestone. These markers will be used as a means to identify Collegetown, which will link UK and downtown.Utilities will be buried along the route, and storm and sanitary sewers will be repaired or replaced. There will be wider, ADA compliant, sidewalks, and bike lanes.
Motorists will not be able to drive through the intersection of Avenue of Champions and Limestone beginning on July 22 and continuing for an estimate of approximately one month. Northbound motorists on Nicholasville Road (Limestone) who want to travel downtown should follow the signage which identifies a detour route at Virginia Avenue to South Broadway. Westbound motorists on Euclid (Avenue of Champions) will take Martin Luther King Boulevard to Main Street. Motorists should plan on significant delays. There will be local access for residents, employees of businesses along the corridor and for deliveries.
The work on Limestone, between Avenue of Champions and Vine Street, is expected to take approximately one year, but conditions and closures will change frequently. Regular updates will be posted on a website dedicated to the construction, http://www.southlimestoneprogress.com. The website is live. Citizens with questions may call LexCall 3-1-1 (425-2255).
Free two-hour parking will be available in the Transit Center Garage, 170 E. Vine St. Motorists can access the garage off High or Vine streets. South Limestone businesses will sign or stamp the garage parking ticket for their patrons.
The Limestone project is part of Phase 1 of a Streetscape Master Plan, which also includes changes to portions of Vine and Main streets and in Cheapside Park.
The Mayor has appointed the Limestone Reconstruction Commission, made up of South Limestone business owners, property owners, and residents. Weekly meetings will be held with the commission.
The first meeting is 2 p.m., Tuesday, July 21, in the Third Floor Conference Room of the Phoenix Building, 101 E. Vine St. The meeting is open to the public.
The city has hired a project coordinator, George Milligan. Citizens with questions should call LexCall 3-1-1 (425-2255). The contractor is ATS Construction, a local company. The cost of the Limestone work is estimated at $13 million.
