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Superior council backs expanded Rock Creek Parkway closure to meet school start
Summary
After hearing a construction update that the contractor was behind schedule, the Town of Superior directed staff to pursue a revised closure plan that overlaps work at the 88th Street roundabout and Coal Creek Drive so the roadway can be opened before the start of school.
Superior’s Town Council on July 13 voted to move forward with staff’s recommended schedule that overlaps construction phases on Rock Creek Parkway to improve efficiency and give the project the best chance of reopening before school begins.
Christine, the project manager on the Rock Creek Parkway and South Indiana Street projects, told council the contractor is about "24 days behind our original schedule," and that staff had offered extended work hours, Saturdays and revised phasing to push the work forward. She said the contractor provided two revised schedules; staff recommended the more aggressive option that would close the corridor beginning July 15 with a target to complete top-lift paving and striping by early August, with August 11 held as wiggle-room for weather or utility conflicts.
The recommendation would keep certain local access points open while overlapping milling, paving and concrete work to reduce remobilizations. Christine told council liquidated damages are in the contract (she said the daily damage amount for this size contract is $14.50) and that staff will enforce contract language if deadlines are missed.
Council members pressed for stronger contractor accountability. One council member asked whether the town could amend the contract to increase penalties; the town attorney said that would require a formal contract amendment agreed by both parties. Multiple council members said they expected the contractor to bear the cost of any remobilization if the work had to be deferred to next year.
Mayor (speakers identified in transcript) said he would "begrudgingly" support staff’s option 2 because it offered the best chance of having the roadway open for the school year. Council members also discussed emergency access and were told by staff and emergency-service liaisons that emergency vehicles would be able to get through during full closures, and that the contractor had agreed to maintain ramped access for emergency response.
Council and staff acknowledged the disruption the longer closures would cause to nearby residents, and asked staff to proceed with robust outreach if the full-closure option was authorized. Christine said maps and message boards would be updated and distributed, and staff planned a flyer to the 51 homes on Reliance Circle most directly affected.
The council’s direction was to proceed with the staff-recommended overlap option and to press the contractor for increased crews and weekend work where feasible. Staff will continue to monitor the contractor’s performance and report back if circumstances change.
