Public meeting for Franklin Street construction slated for 2/14

With new construction on South Franklin Street set to begin later this month, the City and Borough of Juneau invites the public to attend a pre-construction meeting at 9 a.m. Feb. 14 in the third floor of the Senate Mall downtown.

The project, the first of three phases for downtown Juneau street improvements, aims to reduce obstructions and repair the sidewalks and roads on South Franklin Street between Manila Square, outside the Red Dog Saloon, and the Front Street intersection.

CBJ project engineer Lori Sowa said construction will last until June 1.

“We’re really trying to get the folks that are most impacted by the project in the same room with the contractors and project managers,” Sowa said. The project has already undergone public input and the Valentine’s Day meeting is intended mostly to provide information, she added.

In addition to sidewalk and road improvements and some light work on water and sewer lines, the city plans to install new light poles on the Mount Roberts side of South Franklin and canopy lighting on the water side. The small parking lot outside Red Dog Saloon will be used as a construction staging area.

The next two phases of the project, which haven’t yet been funded by the city, are slated for spring in 2018 and 2019.

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