Third Avenue work nears end

SANDPOINT — Construction on Third Avenue is set to wrap up before the end of the year.

A project begun several weeks ago, the remodeling of Third Avenue between Pine and Church streets has slowed due to adverse weather conditions. However, Sandpoint Public Works Director Kody Van Dyk said the road will be reopened before the construction season’s end, placing the tentative time frame at mid-December. However, the section of street might not be paved before construction shuts down until spring, he added.

“The rain did us no favors this year,” he said.

The Third Avenue construction is one of the first steps in implementing the downtown Sandpoint redesign, drafted last year with the help of Portland, Ore.-based contractor SERA Architects. It’s one of the earliest steps the city can take toward its downtown goals without the return of Idaho Transportation Department-controlled streets. That’s primarily why Allison Wildman, the SERA engineer behind the project, recommended the street as a top priority.

City officials approved a contractor for the job in September and requested project funding from the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency shortly thereafter. Also scheduled for sprucing up is Fourth Avenue, which will likely be renovated once the spring construction season rolls around. That project will likely be somewhat less intensive than Third Avenue, however, which required a complete redesign and a full closure from vehicle use.

Both the Third and Fourth avenue projects center between Church and Pine streets and involve the installation of new sidewalks, curbs, stormwater facilities, street bases, asphalt pavement and landscaping.

According to the Sandpoint Downtown Streets guide, Fourth Avenue will also be enhanced with repaired sidewalks and angled parking.

The streets also follow a design philosophy already implemented in many similar cities. Known as “green streets,” the Sandpoint Downtown Streets Guide describes them as “landscaped spaces that transform street surfaces into living stormwater management facilities.” These green streets improve stormwater management, reduce the runoff of harmful elements and promote a pleasant, natural aesthetic through a combination of natural vegetation, porous pavers, bioswales and more.