Public works proposes four-tier lane-closure permit system with per-lane, per-day fees to limit long-running downtown closures

Brent Johnson, the city’s director of public works, presented a lane-closure permitting proposal that would require private contractors and utilities to apply for permits, submit traffic-control plans and pay a per-lane-per-day fee scaled by street classification. “Our recommendation would be the level 4 permit system,” Johnson said, describing the most comprehensive tier that includes a permit, a traffic-control plan, a schedule and a daily cost for closures.