3/13/2010
By CHRIS HUNTER Salina Journal

The orange-and-white-striped construction barriers and cones that once sat in the northbound lanes of South Ninth Street will soon create headaches for shoppers of one of Salina's largest retail stores.

During construction set to start Monday, the intersection of Ninth and Debold streets will be closed, forcing customers to use the south and north entrances into Walmart.

Also scheduled to be closed Monday is the Ninth and Riffel intersection.

"You won't be able to get to Walmart from the Debold intersection anymore," said Kent Johnson, a civil engineer for the city of Salina. "They will be replacing those intersections (Ninth at Debold and Riffel streets). Each intersection will take approximately three weeks."

Johnson said motorists on Ninth will be able to enter Lowe's at Riffel Drive and Applebee's at Debold.

They'll be able to enter Riffel Drive and Walmart from Schilling Road.

A second entrance for Walmart north of Debold will remain open.

"We will phase our work to keep access to the businesses," Johnson said. "With multiple entrances to Walmart, we want to close one at a time."

Final phase of construction

Workers from Smoky Hill will begin tearing up the southbound lanes of Ninth Street on Monday for replacement in the final phase of construction on the road. The northbound lanes were closed last August for the beginning of construction on the $6.5 million project and reopened before Christmas.

Drivers will have to get back into the habit of driving in two-lane traffic on Ninth Street for "... most of the construction season (through October)," Johnson said.

An inconvenience

As the city starts to block streets off, businesses are expecting to suffer, based on last year's experience.

"It has been a real problem for us," said Stanley Weilert, president of Courtyard by Marriott, 3020 Riffel, and Hampton Inn, 401 W. Schilling. "It is hard for businesses because it confuses people. The local people don't want to go through the construction."

John Brown, an assistant manager at Walmart, said sales took a hit at the store last year, but he said it was possibly a combination of the road work and the major remodeling Walmart was undergoing at the time.

Weilert said other businesses were hit by the recession and the construction.

"The construction will affect our sales probably a little bit, but the road will look nice when it is done," Brown said. "It (the construction) is needing done. The one side they have done looks nice."

Mike Fraser, Salina's director of public works, said that, as much as possible, the city is attempting to work to solve problems with area business owners.

"There will be issues that will come up, and we are very sensitive to that," Fraser said. "We have our construction coordinator, who will be working very closely with the contractor and Kent when problems arise to make sure we are allowing as much access as possible."

Johnson said the city and engineers designed temporary routes several months in advance to ward off potential problems.

"We put a lot of work into how traffic is going to be maintained while the improvements are done," Johnson said. "There is no way to make these improvements without being inconvenient for traffic."

While the solution may not please owners, Johnson hopes frontage roads and Interstate Highway 135 will address some of the concerns.

"In almost every case, there is an alternate way to get to a business down there," Johnson said. "We are also lucky to have the interstate shadow Ninth. We don't see any reason people shouldn't go to those businesses. We are even going to have signs to help people find alternate ways to get to the businesses."

Beautiful project

Johnson said he thniks the project could come in under budget based on construction prices as a result of the recession.

"Things are coming in cheaper," Johnson said. "We hate to see the economy down, but it has made our costs cheaper."

Fraser said the city hopes the project will be finished quickly but also look nice.

"It is going to be a beautiful project when it is completed," Fraser said. "It is something that will serve the city well, if everyone can hold on through the construction."

Weilert said he hopes businesses will rebound after the construction is finished.

"I will be glad when it is all done," Weilert said. "It hurts when they close streets, but we will have to bear with it. Infrastructure is good for us and the city."

nReporter Chris Hunter can be reached at 822-1422 or by e-mail at chunter@salina.com.

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