Weather delays opening of Carpenter Road

Carpenter Road, which has been closed to traffic since May was scheduled to open November 11, but that opening has been pushed back until January 31, 2012.

Several minor glitches and the weather are to blame. But Dale Mix, construction manager for the City of Lacey says the road will be finished and completely opened by its original date of Spring 2012.

In September, Mix told the Lacey City Council that the road would be open to traffic on November 11. A week later, he was informed by the contractor – – Active Construction of Puyallup – – that that date wouldn’t be met if the project was to finish on time. “It was a tough decision,” Mix said. “I had to weigh the inconvenience of delaying the opening of the road against delaying the finishing of the project.”

Wet weather this past year has a major portion of the blame. The contractor couldn’t work on the bridge over Lois Lake until the water level receded. But twice as much rain in May as normal, and 75 percent more rain in July than normal, held up the ability of the contractor to work on the bridge. The bridge work had to be done, before other work could proceed.

“It was to the public’s benefit to keep the road closed two more months and get the project finished on time,” Mix said.

Businesses on Carpenter Road have been hurting, but most are surviving. Mix said they support keeping the road closed longer to allow the contractor to finish the project on time.

When finished, Carpenter Road will be four lanes, with a fifth turn lane in spots. Have bike lanes, sidewalks the entire length and will be landscaped and lighted. Total cost of the project is $12 million, with the construction part costing $7.5 million.