Project Updates

Phase 2 of the Park Street Reconstruction Project will begin Monday, Sept. 16. Albion Avenue will be CLOSED from Day Street to Linden Avenue until approximately Nov. 1st. Please avoid travel in this area and use the signed detour (see detour map attached). Should you have any questions, please contact Fairmont City Hall Engineering Department at (507) 238-9461.

November 8, 2024

• Park Street will open to traffic at the end of the day, Friday, November 8^th. 
• The contractor has completed all paving, curb and gutter, sidewalk, and topsoil placement for the year.  However, the temporary site restoration will need to be completed, and that contractor is planning to be on site early next week to complete the work.  There will be temporary road closures for through traffic while they are working.  The street will be fully open to traffic when there is no work being done.  Residents will still have access to their driveways throughout the temporary closures.
• Following completion of the temporary site restoration, all work will be completed for the year.  The contractor will be back in the Spring of 2025 to install the final pavement surface, pavement markings, and sod on the disturbed areas.

November 1, 2024

• The street and driveway concrete and pavement have all been completed for the year.  The contractor is currently working on grading and topsoil placement behind the curb and sidewalk as well as finishing the last remaining sidewalk outwalks/steps.  Though the site will remain a construction zone with some continued activity, Albion Ave is officially opening to through traffic Saturday!
• Park St will be open to local residents only, with the south end remaining closed to limit traffic.  All driveways will be safe for residential use this coming Monday.  Please use care when accessing your home through active construction and avoid parking in active work zones.
• The contractor will continue working on Park St over for the week or two.  The work will include grading, placing topsoil, general cleanup, and stabilizing of the disturbed soils.  The final 1.5-inch lift of pavement and seeding are scheduled to be completed in spring.

October 23, 2024

• The contractor is currenting finishing concrete work on sidewalks and driveways as well as preparing for street paving.  Once paving has been completed and concrete has had sufficient time to cure local residents will be able to start using their driveways again.
• The contractor is planning to start paving on Park St and Albion Ave this coming Thursday, October 24^th.  We ask that all residents please have their vehicles off the gravel surfacing on by 7:00 AM Thursday morning.  Once paving has started, access on the project will not be available until work has completed and the new pavement has cooled.  Please stay off the new pavement until Friday morning, at which time local residents will be able to park on the new street for access outside of active construction areas. Please continue to not use the new concrete driveways until notified that it has cured enough to safely use.
• The other remaining work onsite for this season includes placing topsoil, soil stabilization, raising valves and manhole castings, placing signage, and miscellaneous site cleanup.  The final 1.5-inch lift of pavement and seeding are scheduled to be completed in spring.

October 8, 2024

• The contractor is currenting finishing storm sewer on Albion Ave near the Park St intersection.  Once this has been completed the contractor will place base material in preparation for curb and gutter installation.
• The concrete subcontractor is planning to start preparations for curb and gutter construction on Park St this coming Monday, October 7^th.  Once this starts driveways will be inaccessible until concrete work is completed, and it has sufficient time to cure.  The sequence for concrete construction is as follows:
  • The concrete crew will firstly install stringline along each side of the street. This will parallel the street and run from one to end of project to the other.  This will be used for installing curb and gutter and should not be disturbed.
  • Curb and gutter will then be installed by paver using the stringline. During this time, we kindly ask residents to park outside the active work area in a safe location.  Ready mix trucks will be actively delivering concrete to the site during this time.
  • Following curb and gutter, sidewalk will be poured throughout the project. Please continue to have your vehicles outside of the active work area during construction hours until all surfacing is completed.
  • Lastly, driveways will be poured up to removal locations to finish concrete work onsite.
  • Please note, concrete needs time to cure and strengthen. Concrete placed will need at least 7 days to cure before driving on.  We will notify you when the new surfacing is safe for traffic.

  During this time of limited access residents are asked to park on the gravel surfaced Park St or on Albion Ave outside the active construction areas.  Through this process we kindly ask residents to be patient with the construction process and reach out to our Construction Representative with any questions or concerns.

September 12, 2024

• The contractor is currenting finishing base material and temporary gravel on the south half of Park St. Once this has been completed, local residents will be able to use this portion of the project for access as work starts on the final Albion Ave phase of the project.
• The contractor is planning to start on the Albion Ave construction this coming Monday, September 16^th.  At this time Albion Ave will be closed to traffic through the Park St intersection with a detour route utilized.  Residents should plan to access Park St from the north at Budd St. The first work to be conducted will be existing removals and connecting water services along this phase of the project onto the auxiliary temporary water line running down each boulevard.  During the connection, residents will have a minor disruption to water flow while the service is switched from the old watermain to the auxiliary line.  Following the connection, water service should not be interrupted until the service is connected to the new watermain to be installed in the coming weeks.
• During this time of limited access residents are asked to park on the recently completed, and gravel surfaced, Park St or on Albion Ave outside the current construction extents.  Through this process we kindly ask residents to be patient with the construction process and reach out to our Construction Representative with any questions or concerns.

August 23, 2024

• The contractor is currenting finishing base material and temporary gravel on the north half of the project.  Once this has been completed, local residents will be able to use this portion of the project for access as work starts on the south half of the project.
• At this time the contractor is also connecting water services along the south half of the project onto the auxiliary temporary water line running down each boulevard.  During the connection, residents will have a minor disruption to water flow while the service is switched from the old watermain to the auxiliary line.  Following the connection, water service should not be interrupted until the service is connected to the new watermain to be installed in the coming weeks.
• On Monday, August 26^th, the contractor plans to perform pavement removals on the south half of Park St to the Albion Ave intersection in preparation for new sanitary sewer, watermain, and storm sewer installation.  During this time residents will not have access to their driveways until the utilities and street base grading are completed.  During this time of limited access residents are asked to park on the recently completed, and gravel surfaced, north half of Park St or on Albion Ave outside the current construction extents.  Through this process we kindly ask residents to be patient with the construction process and reach out to our Construction Representative with any questions or concerns.

August 5, 2024

• The Budd Street intersection has been reopened following installation of watermain, sanitary sewer, storm sewer and temporary gravel surfacing.
• Mensing is currently installing watermain and sanitary sewer on the north half of Park St.  This work will continue through the week and transition to installation of sewer and water services throughout the current extents.
• During the installation of water services there will be a short interruption in water supply for residences.  This is last less than 1 hour while the contractor switches the water supply from the temporary water to the newly installed service line.
• The current phase of construction will be completed following grading and placement of aggregate base material.  The street will be graveled and available for use before the contractor begins removals on the south half of Park St.

July 15, 2024

• Competitive bids for the work were received on April 25, 2024, and the project was awarded to Mensing Construction from Blue Earth, Minnesota on May 13, 2024.

• Mensing is currently scheduled to begin work on or after July 16. The fall completion date is November 1 with the final lift of pavement and sod to be completed in the spring of 2025.

• The first step of construction will be temporary water service on Park Street throughout the project extents. Temporary water will consist of a sanitized auxiliary water line that is connected into effected water services to limit water supply disruptions. This will be followed by construction of the new watermain and sanitary sewer down Park Street through Phase 1 of the project. Following this, storm sewer will be placed prior to preparing the street subgrade for the aggregate base and pavement sections. During this time access to driveways will be intermittent on this block. We kindly ask for your patience during this disruption and we will do our best to facilitate access for residents.

• Phase 2 of the project will involve construction at the intersection of Park Street and Albion Avenue and require closure of Albion Avenue. This work will consist of the same improvements noted above. Phase 2 will cause less disruptions to local residents and most residents along Park Street will have gravel access to their properties during this phase.