From Deseret News archives:
Orem roadwork ahead of schedule
But 1600 North project irritates some residents
Fortunately, their frustration may not last as long as they thought it would.
The $5 million construction project — to install new underground utilities and completely reconstruct the street — is 45 days ahead of schedule, city project manager Morris Flygare said.
Karma Huish lives on 1600 North and said the work sometimes has forced her to take a different route to her house, but it doesn't bother her.
"(The road) is bumpy, but you expect it to be," Huish said. "But they've always kept access for us which is good because we have to get in and out."
Huish's house is located on the edge of a cul-de-sac and the city took the corner of their lot to make the turn more manageable.
"It's progress," she said. "You have to put up with something to have it fixed."
Mark Yount isn't as quick to forgive the inflicted pains.
His home is in the heart of the construction, and he said he's dealt with with a lot of negative effects during this first phase of construction.
Worst is the money he said he's lost because customers of his computer and printer repair company, Wasatch Computers, have had trouble finding his house.
It's not just his business he's worried about. Yount can't get into his driveway because there's a trench blocking it.
Instead, he has to park his Honda around the corner. He also said he's been pulled over for driving down 1600 North on the way to his house.
Workers also tore up two sections of sod in Yount's yard to make room for a fire hydrant and a telephone pole, sections Yount said he hopes the city will replace.
"It's been a nightmare," Yount said. "It's not an inconvenience, it's a nightmare."
The project was scheduled to run from April 3 to June 5, with crews working on the section of the street from 600 West to 1030 West.
Flygare said construction will continue at a rapid pace if wet and stormy weather doesn't roll into the Wasatch Front.
E-mail: jelder@desnews.com
