• BY ALLISON MILES - AMILES@VICAD.COM
• Originally published February 15, 2010 at 7:03 p.m., updated February 15, 2010 at 11:05 p.m.

• Laurent Street construction map.pdf

• LAURENT STREET SIDEWALKS MUST BE REDONE

  ADVOCATE STAFF REPORTRoad repairs ended on the Laurent Street project's first phase in late 2009, but some work remains for the area's sidewalks.

  Much of the new sidewalk did not meet handicap accessibility codes, ...

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LAURENT STREET SIDEWALKS MUST BE REDONE

ADVOCATE STAFF REPORTRoad repairs ended on the Laurent Street project's first phase in late 2009, but some work remains for the area's sidewalks.

Much of the new sidewalk did not meet handicap accessibility codes, so crews are going back to right the issue, said Lynn Short, Victoria's director of public works.

The city's final inspection revealed many of the sidewalks exceeded the 2 percent cross slope limit, he said.

The contractor, Huffman-based Triple B Construction Services, will repair the issue at its own expense, Short said, and fixes should be complete in April.

Calls to Triple B Construction Services were not immediately returned.

Laurent Street was a busy place Monday.

Northbound cars, trucks and vans made their ways to various destinations, while construction crews in the southbound lane moved dirt, replaced utilities and prepared the road for what lies ahead.

Construction began Jan. 23 for the second part of the Laurent Street construction project, and some area businesses and organizations feel the project's effects.

Avon Sales and Recruiting is readying for a move to John Stockbauer Drive to avoid traffic issues, owner Candy Contreras said. The move, slated for March 1, was already in the works, but sped ahead when construction began.

"We want to keep our customers happy," she said, explaining some people have avoided the store since ground broke on the project.

"We have a good clientele, and want to cater to them."

The one-way traffic created issues for Shields Magnet Elementary School when construction first began, Principal Armando Villarreal said. It increased vehicle flow on Crestwood Drive and made for some slow going during mornings and afternoons.

"But we seem to be managing quite well," he said.

The project also eliminated an old oak tree that grew on the school's property and has temporarily meant no sidewalk at the corner of Laurent Street and Crestwood Drive, he said. On rainy days or days water has been allowed to collect, he said, and it can be difficult to get students across the road.

All in all, however, Villarreal said the inconveniences were minor.

"It's just those little growing pains we'll be going through until the project is completed three or four months from now," he said.

The $6.17 million project spans Laurent Street from Airline Road to near Sam Houston Drive, said Lynn Short, Victoria's director of public works. Houston's Total Site construction company will carry out the work, he said, and the projected end date is March 23, 2011.

The project is divided into multiple stages.

First, crews will replace utilities on one side of the road and repave it, Short said. They then move over and do the same to the other side.

Once a section of road is complete, crews will repeat the process further north, until everything is done.

"The plan is to allow them the opportunity to work as much as possible, while still minimizing the inconvenience as much as possible," he said.

Short said he hadn't received word of any complaints about the project, although people might have called other city offices.

Lulu's Collectibles and Clothes has seen a decrease in customer traffic since construction began, owner Lulu Cartwright said.

The resale store sits at the corner of Melrose Drive and Laurent Street, so those traveling north have easy access to the shop, she explained. If they're driving south, however, they have to find a roundabout way to get there.

It's an inconvenience, Cartwright said, but it will all be worth it once the repairs are complete.

"I'm just praying that I can hang on and make it until the end of construction," she said. "We can survive, with God's help."

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