The seemingly endless construction work that has either clogged or closed most streets in downtown Ukiah in recent years is finally nearing completion, city officials say.

“After all the hardships we’ve been through, with all the dust and dirt, we’re now getting down to business,” Public Works Director Tim Eriksen told the Ukiah City Council last week, explaining that most of the construction on State Street is complete as part of the second phase of the Downtown Streetscape Project. So the remaining work this month will consist of “putting up trash cans, bike racks, benches and landscaping, and we’re confident it’s going to look really nice.”

As for the accompanying construction project, called “The Urban Core Project,” Eriksen promised that workers would soon return to Main Street.

“They’ve done a lot of work on Main Street and the people on Main Street are concerned that we’ve let them down, but we’ll be back,” Eriksen said, explaining that the current priority is not to impact the start of classes next week. “We’re working with our contractor, Ghilotti, to really try to stay out of people’s way and right now we’re trying to get as much done on Gobbi Street as we can before school starts again (Aug. 19), which is why we left Main Street, but we’ll be back to Main Street to reconstruct the street.”

As for the Recycled Water Project, or “Purple Pipe,” Eriksen said work is “almost complete from the public’s perspective.” He pointed out that the installation of the pipes is really just the “icing on the cake,” while the actual work on the project is still ongoing at both the water treatment plant and the wastewater treatment plant.

“And the biggest effort at the treatment plant is laying concrete for the PAU, or production enhancement unit,” Eriksen said, describing it as a process that will take nearly two months and begins every day at 5 a.m. when “the concrete mixers roll in there. That’s the same group that’s building the sidewalks for Phase 2 and the town center, with about 40 people pouring the concrete.”

In a press release this week, the City Manager’s office reported that “City staff is grateful for the community’s continued patience during these projects.” It explained that while Phase 2 of the Streetscape Project is nearly complete and “the Recycled Water Project distribution system is complete,” work is ongoing on the Urban Core Rehabilitation and Transportation Project, which consists of extensive street reconstruction and utility replacement on Main, Gobbi and Perkins streets. This project, also largely funded by grants, will last until approximately summer 2025.

“After summer vacation, workers moved to West Gobbi to replace sewer and water lines,” Assistant City Manager Shannon Riley explains in the release. “As frustrating as it is to have work (on Main Street) left unfinished, it was imperative to complete the majority of the work on West Gobbi Street before school started to avoid conflicts with school bus routes and children walking to school. Work in this area will continue through the fall, with sidewalk rehabilitation, ADA ramps and road rehabilitation.

“Starting later this week,” Riley continues, “utility work will begin in East Gobbi, beginning at South Orchard Avenue and continuing west to State Street. In East Gobbi, there will be lane closures in the blocks of active construction; westbound traffic will be permitted only in these areas. Access will be provided to residents, emergency and delivery vehicles at all times. Alternate routes for through traffic will be recommended during construction periods; East Gobbi is expected to reopen to two-way traffic at the end of each workday.”

In closing, city officials noted that “with some traffic lights still flashing and school starting next week, the city is asking residents to be extra vigilant while driving and to allow a few extra minutes during commute times.”

Originally published: August 15, 2024 at 12:35 p.m.