Both lanes of westbound Memorial Drive, from Main Street to Spring Street in downtown Danville, will be closed from Monday, Sept. 17, to Friday, Sept. 21, while a new storm drainage system is installed.
Detour signs already are in place to alert motorists.
City Engineer Kent Shelton said traffic will be detoured up Main Street to Market Street, and then to Spring Street, to regain access to Memorial Drive westbound.
Virginia Carolina Paving of South Boston is the project contractor.
The work is part of the River District streetscape improvement project, which includes the installation of a storm drainage system on Main Street, something the city has not had previously.
The storm drain will cross Memorial Drive to the corner at Main Street. Construction then will proceed south along Main Street.
The streetscape project will focus on Main Street from Memorial Drive and Craghead Street to Floyd Street and on North Union Street from Main Street to Spring Street.
The scope of the project ranges from widening existing sidewalks and installing brick pavers to creating more visible and safer pedestrian crossings and providing amenities such as trees, benches and new lighting.
The sidewalks will be constructed with a six-foot band of tinted concrete along the storefronts, with brick being placed from the band to the curb.
Also as part of the project, the number of traffic lanes on Main Street will be reduced from three to two by eliminating the center turn lane. This change will allow for the wider sidewalks.
The first brick paving will be placed in the plaza area on Memorial Drive adjacent the former Atrium building at 312 Main St.
The project then will move to the west side of the 300 block of Main Street, which extends from Memorial Drive to Market Street. The west side is occupied by businesses such as 316 Cibo’s, The Venue and Virginia Bank & Trust.
Construction will proceed one block at a time, with 30 to 45 days required to complete each side of the street within a block. The contractor must maintain access to the front door of each storefront and business during construction. Industrial mats will be used to minimize the amount of dust.
The total project will take 11 to 12 months, depending on the weather.
Although the installation of the storm drainage system represents the official start of the streetscape construction, Danville Utilities crews already have been busy upgrading gas and water services. All gas meters are being moved from inside the buildings to an underground vault outside. Water lines are being checked, and if they are steel, then they are being replaced.
For more information on the River District and the development project, visit the city of Danville’s website at www.danville-va.gov.
