Construction on A Street has been ongoing since early summer. Having the heavily traversed street unavailable for most of 2020 has inconvenienced residents of A Street and the rest of Moscow alike. Those who don’t live on the street may wonder why such extensive constructive was necessary.
“It was a combination of many factors, (including) road condition, road width, intersection improvements and traffic flow optimization,” Tyler Palmer, the Moscow public works and services deputy city supervisor, said.
Andrew Ward, a resident of A Street, validated these concerns. Ward said, “A Street was falling apart,” citing how one day, a retaining rock wall fell over spontaneously and how similar the old power lines looked to rotting flesh.
Some A Street residents have reservations about the construction, despite its necessity.
“It starts at 7:30 a.m., sometimes 6:30 a.m. and the heavy machinery shakes the very foundation of my building until three in the afternoon. Even headphones can’t help,” Ward said. “The consistency of the yelling and the noise early in the morning has been the most difficult thing. I’m an early riser, but I haven’t been able to wake up peacefully except on weekends.”
Ward said he got a parking ticket during the early days of the construction because some residents have changed where they parked. Ward appreciates the construction despite the negative consequences. The new power poles are a significant improvement over the old ones and there is more space on the street, he said.
There is no clear end date for the construction.
“All I was told was it would be done before it snows,” Ward said.
The first snowfall of the year is expected to be Oct. 23.
Teren Kowatsch can be reached at [email protected].