WILLMAR -- Willmar Public Works director Mel Odens urges motorists to take precautions at night where street lights have not yet been installed on the rebuilt section of Willmar Avenue Southeast.
Design Electric of St. Cloud has until Jan. 15, 2006, to turn on the lights, said Odens. Final completion will be in June. The City Council awarded a contract to Design Electric on Oct. 3 to install 29 poles and 5,800 lineal feet of wire.
Willmar Avenue was widened and rebuilt this summer between the Highway 71/23 Bypass and Fifth Street Southeast. The entire avenue was reopened for traffic at 6 p.m. Monday.
"It's still our intent that they would have the lights on by the middle of January,'' said Odens. "Our intent was to have them get the wiring in the ground before the ground freezes and they can set the poles after that.''
He said the lighting contractor cannot install the light poles until the curb is built and the boulevard is backfilled, "otherwise you can't put up the street lights.'' He said there are street lights at the signal systems at Fifth Street and at Lakeland Drive.
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Odens said motorists should also take precaution because some cleanup work will be done in the construction area.
