Second phase begins on flood project

RANDOLPH — The second phase of flood mitigation work on the Middle Logan Creek will begin soon.

The city met with the contractor Iron Mike Construction, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week for a pre-construction meeting.

At the meeting, several pre-construction tasks were discussed including permitting, safety plans, relocating utilities for the project, and taking out trees along the creek, among other items, said City Administrator Ben Benton.

The second phase of the flood project starts on the west side of Sholes Road and continues upstream crossing Main and Wayne Streets and 558 Avenue (also known as the county line road with Pierce County).

The Main Street bridge will be replaced with a concrete bridge while the bridge on 558 Road will be replaced with concrete box culvert.

Benton estimates that construction will start in mid-May and may last up to one year.

Iron Mike Construction’s contract is for nearly $8 million and will be paid through loans from the USDA.

Homeowners who live south of Middle Logan Creek will not be able to access Highway 20 through 558 Avenue during construction.

Those traveling south through Randolph will need to take Douglas Street.

The Douglas Street bridge will remain open until the new Main Street bridge is opened. Douglas Street bridge work remains unfunded and unplanned at this time, Benton said, with the city researching less-expensive options.

“The city council was visionary when they added the stop signs on Douglas Street in 2021 to help with traffic flow,” Benton said.

Although there will be less everyday traffic near the park this summer, pedestrians will need to be aware of construction traffic.