Main Street looked the same as ever on Monday and

Tuesday, with no sign yet of the major makeover to come. But UDOT

officials say construction contractor W.W. Clyde is set to begin

rolling out the orange cones and adding temporary lane striping to the

roadway by Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.

    Workers will also install temporary traffic signals

at critical intersections, setting the stage for work to swing into

full gear on Monday, Dec. 19, said Myron Lee, UDOT Region 4 spokesman.

    “The purpose is to shift traffic to one side of the

street while construction is completed on the other side,” Lee said.

“The temporary signals will help workers manage traffic flow while the

work is occurring.”

    The $5 million Main Street remodel, postponed in

March after contractor bids ran much higher than the agency’s projected

budget, will cover a 2 ½ -mile stretch from Overlook Road south of Moab

to 500 North. Workers will complete the project in phases, beginning

this winter with a three-block area between 100 South and 200 North in

the center of downtown Moab.

    Phase one is scheduled for completion by March, the

beginning of Moab’s spring tourist rush, in an effort to reduce the

economic impact that the controlled traffic flow and lack of on-street

Main Street parking will have to local businesses.

    Construction will begin on the north and south ends

of Main Street later this spring. The full project is expected to take

about 10 months, Lee said.

    Traffic will be allowed on Main Street, but will be

limited to one lane in each direction. Parking will not be allowed on

Main Street within any active construction area, Lee said. UDOT will

install signs directing drivers to parking areas.

    Local business owners will receive regular updates

on the progress of the construction project, and a citizens oversight

group, the Citizen Coordination Team – established through meetings

with UDOT – will keep watch over the project. “Block captains” have

been selected for each business block that will be affected by the

construction, and those volunteers will serve as liaisons between

business owners and the construction company, Lee said.

    “This is going to be a long project,” Lee said. “I

hope businesses will be able to talk to their block captains if there

are issues. We want to solve problems on the local level as much as

possible.”

&#169 2005 Lisa J. Church