Work has begun to stabilize and repair the Ashland Avenue and Rt. 18/S. Carpenter Drive corridor in Covington.
Due to the continued de-stabilization of Ashland Avenue from heavy rains in mid-June, contractors must first begin working on a portion of Ashland Avenue.
“This is necessary, so that they can stabilize the most critical area of failure prior to addressing the whole area,” Covington City Manager Krystal Onaitis said. “This initial effort will ensure the whole affected area is safe for work on the rest of needed excavation and stabilization of the entire area.”
Work to address the most critical area on Ashland Avenue started Friday morning. As a result, Ashland will be closed to all through traffic, except for those requiring access to their homes.
Parking on the street near the intersection will need to be vacated during this work.
Work has been completed on the temporary one-lane commercial route on S. Carpenter Drive. This lane is designed and intended for commercial and industrial traffic only.
Messaging boards on this and detour routes are being placed as well.
During construction work days which are Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., flaggers will be used to move commercial and industrial traffic through the area. At night law enforcement will monitor the site for safety and work to promote the use of this temporary lane for commercial and industrial traffic only, given line-of-sight concerns for safety.
As previously communicated, the emergency roadwork on Ashland Avenue and Carpenter Drive will be ongoing for seven to 11 weeks, depending on weather conditions.
Updates on the emergency roadwork sites and traffic impacts each may create will be provided as they become available.
On Tuesday evening, Covington City Council approved an emergency declaration resolution, hoping a reimbursement from the state will help fund four road projects in the city.
Once work in the Ashland Avenue/S. Carpenter Drive area is completed, focus will shift to Mallow Road and Edgemont Drive.
Financing for these projects will come in the form of a $3 million line of credit.
“As always, the city encourages residents and businesses that encounter road hazards to report them to the city’s Emergency Dispatch Center,”?
Onaitis said. “Communication officers are available 24/7/365 by calling (540) 965-6333 or emailing policeinfo@covington.va.us.”
Questions and/or concerns relating to these emergency repairs and traffic impacts can be directed to the city manager’s office by calling (540) 965-6300.
The Virginian Review has been serving Covington, Clifton Forge, Alleghany County and Bath County since 1914.
