ESC: Entertainment & Sports Complex: Construction begins soon... What's the impact on the public?

ESC: Entertainment And Sports Complex: Noise/an eye on progress/Truck traffic

Will the demolition and construction that’s about to begin at the K Street Mall be as noisy and distracting as large construction projects often are?

Turner Construction and the other contractors involved in this project are taking a “3 M” approach to try to lessen the noise and dust: that's Mitigation through Means and Methods.  They have considered how they will go about working through the project (the “means”) and looked at the “methods used” to limit the noise, dust and distraction.  For example; rather than using  pile drivers they will be drilling holes in the ground to place the building support beams and will be draping sound absorbing material on the interior of the site fencing and safety barriers to help muffle the noise.  And a host of other techniques, large and small…

Want to see what’s going on?  NO texting while driving, and no rubbernecking either!  The L street perimeter will have a solid construction fence/barrier that will not permit gawking – but on a good note it has sound absorbing lining on the construction side to help dampen some of the sounds from the site. But, you’ll be able to see what is going on at the corner of L and 5th and J and 5^th.  Streets.  At those corners there will be sections of chain link fencing left open without paneling  so pedestrians can see what is going on.   And inside the mall there will also be large “portals” cut into the construction barriers that will separate the remaining west end of the mall from the goings on at the building site.

And pedestrians on the surrounding streets, J, L and, 7th ^streets and the western end of the K street mall will find Routing Maps to guide them around the construction site.  Easily visible signs will also be posted throughout the project with a phone number to call if you have a concern about what is going on – and we've been promised a quick response to public inquires.

During demolition and construction, when a steady stream of trucks will be hauling away materials to recycling centers and later on bringing in new materials to the site - they will be staged on vacant parcels a few blocks away from the project and radioed in to the site on demand so that they do not clog up J and L streets and the freeway on and off ramps.  They've devised a route that from the north will take them from Interstate 5 to Richards Boulevard to 7^th Street or from the south on Interstate 5 to Q Street and 7^th Street to the staging area.

Next up: What is happening at the Capital Towers – the Sacramento Commons Project? 

It's about MUCH more than basketball!

Our Downtown rebirth begins!

ESC: Entertainment And Sports Complex: Demolition/Traffic/Parking

Remember Gottschalks?  More recently known as Macy’s Men’s store?  That part of the K Street Mall will soon to be a hole in the ground.  Plans are afoot to begin the serious demolition of the eastern 2/3rds of the K Street Mall.  Initial preparation work has begun. The wrecking ball arrives soon and we may see action there before the end of July.

There is just one catch to that timetable; the city still does not own the land (and sky above) at the old Macy’s Men’s.  The “Special Servicer” that has control of that property has not relinquished control despite the city winning their eminent domain lawsuit.  And that’s because the second phase of that suit, how much are the land/air rights worth, has not been resolved.  Yet.

The lead contractor who is building the ESC (Turner Construction) is working with the City to minimize disruption to the downtown businesses, pedestrians and traffic.  It’s a major construction site so there will be disruptions – but the contractor and city are working on a plan so that disruptions will be periodic – in waves rather than constant commotion.

Parking losses.  The public entrance to the underground parking lot at L street will be the first to be closed, probably fairly soon.  This will be followed by the lot entrance on J Street (just past 5^th street) and the entrance on 7^th street too.  Mall employees with monthly parking passes were notified some time ago about alternative parking sites.

Lane closures on J and L Streets?  A mini Fix 50?  Actually no.  Per the plans I’ve heard about there will be some re-shifting of lanes but J Street will continue to be 4 lanes at all times. At least one pedestrian walk will be relocated, the one at 5^th and J will be moved to 6^th and J.  L Street will also continue to have 3 lanes at all times.  About 13 L Street parking spaces will be eliminated for the duration of the ESC construction to make way for the lanes that will be shifted.  5th street however, will lose one lane.  This street has one of the lightest volumes of any downtown street and the lane given up will be dedicated to trucks entering and exiting the constructions site.  If you’ve headed south on 29^th Street during the recent construction of Sutter Hospital’s major expansion and seen the lane shift there, then you have an idea of how it will work.

Next up: Noise/watching the progress/Truck traffic