Tempe outlines Mill Avenue paving schedule, overnight mosaic blasting and business supports ahead of full closure

Barrett Yergermeier of the City of Tempe's engineering division opened a downtown merchant briefing to describe the final phase of the Mill Avenue streetscape project, saying the work will include complete roadway removal and repaving between University and Rio Salado Parkway and would require phased full closures.

The contractor identified in the meeting as Akin Gardner said media blasting for the project's litho mosaics is scheduled to begin May 18 and that roadway demolition and replacement is planned to start May 26. "The paving work itself, we're hoping to have completed here in early July," the contractor said, adding that final striping would follow in early August to allow asphalt to set.

The contractor said the demolition and grading work will run 24 hours and that some milling will occur at night while other milling will happen during daytime hours "depending on how the work shakes out." On blast timing, the contractor said, "media blasting will be from midnight to 6AM. It's, quite noisy process." A meeting participant clarified that the active blasting at any one corner should last only about 15 minutes, but that most overnight time will involve setup, takedown and moving equipment between corners.

Project graphics reviewed at the meeting showed the closures will be implemented in phases. For Phase 1, closures were shown between University and 5th Street with pedestrian crossings designated at 5th Street and University. Phase 2 closures extend to 6th Street as part of traffic control to prevent large trucks from entering the work zone. Phase 3 was described as the segment between 3rd Street and Rio Salado, with closures extending down 4th Street and pedestrian crossings maintained at Rio Salado and 3rd Street.

Contractors and city staff acknowledged deliveries as a significant issue for businesses and said they are developing alternative drop-off and delivery locations. The contractor described plans for designated offload points where delivery trucks can unload and merchants or staff can move items to storefronts, and said the team will coordinate directly with affected businesses as paving progresses to minimize disruptions.

Allie, the business liaison from the Downtown Tempe Authority, outlined merchant communications and support. She said the authority circulates a weekly merchant newsletter with construction path updates and that merchants can sign up or respond with questions via Allie@downtowntempe.com. Allie recommended directing customers to Ash Avenue parking garages for west-side businesses and approaching east-side businesses from the south; she also promoted the Tempe Trip digital platform for real-time parking availability and pricing.

Allie described additional short-term measures under consideration, including 15-minute pickup/drop-off locations and increased pedestrian signage to make clear that businesses remain open during closures. She also described a city-sponsored summer program, Discover Downtown Sidewalk Summer, and a coordinated promotion campaign using the city website, newsletters, influencers and PR to encourage visits during construction. Merchants were invited to submit promotional deals for consumer-facing apps to help drive foot traffic.

Morgan Kennedy of the City of Tempe's neighborhood services office reviewed the project contact list (the contractor team, the Downtown Tempe Authority contact and city contacts) and invited merchants to schedule one-on-one meetings for event-specific questions. Morgan said the next virtual merchant meeting is set for the second Tuesday at 2 p.m.; the next meeting will be June 9 and the likely final meeting is July 14, with a possible August meeting to be determined.

The meeting contained no formal votes or motions and closed after a brief Q&A in which no additional comments were raised. Staff asked merchants to use the contact list and newsletter for updates and individual concerns.