17th Street makes like obstacle course

Deirdre Newman

One of the city’s busiest thoroughfares resembles an obstacle course,

where open trenches and a caterpillar of orange cones are challenging

drivers’ maneuvering skills.

The city is reconstructing the roadway on 17th Street from Placentia Avenue to west of Superior Avenue and from Fullerton Avenue

to Orange Avenue.

The bulk of the project involves replacing the asphalt, which has

been worn down with potholes and rutting, city engineer Ernesto Munoz

said. The asphalt has gotten to the point where it’s more

cost-effective to replace it than to keep fixing it, Munoz said.

“The asphalt has outlived its natural life,” Munoz said.

The first phase of the project involves the replacement of

deteriorating concrete, including sidewalks, curbs and gutters. This

started on the stretch from Fullerton to Orange in December. Now, the

construction in this area is in high gear as the crews work on

replacing the asphalt.

Because this is such a heavily used portion of 17th Street, Munoz

is recommending that drivers avoid the area, if possible.

“We’re trying to accommodate traffic as much as possible,” Munoz

said. “It’s difficult to prevent any bottlenecks, so the public is

urged to steer away from the area.”

Construction on the portion from Placentia Avenue to west of

Superior Avenue is just getting underway, Munoz said.

Work on this portion is indicative of the attempt the city has

made to revitalize the Westside, City Manager Allan Roeder said.

“Certainly in terms of West 17th Street, it’s also symptomatic of

the effort the city has made to upgrade facilities and invest in the

Westside, similar to what we’ve seen on 19th Street, which, of

course, we will be reconstructing this summer as well as Placentia

Avenue,” Roeder said.

The entire project is expected to take about 40 more days, Munoz

said.