Beaufort intersection, closed for weeks, was supposed to reopen Wed. Why it won’t
The highly anticipated reopening of the Bay Street-Charles intersection, which has blocked eastbound traffic on Bay Street into downtown Beaufort since November, has been delayed because of cold temperatures, the city of Beaufort said Tuesday.
The weather-related hold up will be a disappointment for downtown business owners affected by the lengthy closure.
City Manager Scott Marshall said Monday that the city was anticipating the reopening of the Bay Street-Charles Street intersection Wednesday, pending weather conditions.
But regional temperatures in the 40s and below won’t allow Gulf Stream Contractors to pave this week because asphalt plants in the area that supply the project can’t operate in the cold weather, the city said.
“Project leaders understand and share the public’s frustration with the delay and emphasize that the intersection will reopen as soon as regional conditions allow asphalt production and paving can be completed safely,” the city said in a news release.
Closure affects businesses, takes longer than anticipated
The closure of the entrance, which came Nov. 13, has blocked vehicles from reaching the downtown Bay Street business corridor from the west. Its closure, before the busy holiday season instead of afterward as originally planned, also upset many business owners.
The city originally said the Bay-Charles juncture would be closed for five to six weeks. As of this week, the intersection has been closed for 10.
The storm drainage project is one of two that are active in the downtown area and involve digging up old clay lines buried 15 feet deep and replacing them with 120-inch concrete pipes. The work is expected to reduce flooding and property damage throughout the downtown business area and nearby residential neighborhoods, but hiccups have included schedule changes and the resignation of the city’s capital improvement programs director shortly after the project began.
The city said Tuesday reopening the Bay-Charles streets intersection will come “at the first available opportunity.”
