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Construction on the long-awaited Kump Avenue project was tentatively scheduled to begin early this week, but was delayed due to utility work, which includes work on the gas main, that still needs to be completed.

The project is still expected to begin in the near future, however, and here's what residents and homeowners can expect:

• In phase 1 of the project, only one lane will be available at any given time running 400 feet west of 138th Street to 400 feet east of 138th Street. This phase is tentatively scheduled to be complete by June 1.

• In phase 2, the entire road will be closed from 400 feet east of Scheidt Lane to Bluegrass Avenue. Also during this phase, the bridge west of Spring Valley Avenue and east of Garfield Avenue will be torn down and rebuilt. The roadwork part of the phase is tentatively scheduled to begin June 1 and end July 13. The bridge teardown and rebuild is tentatively scheduled to begin June 8 and end October 26.

• In phase 3, the entire road will be closed between Park Street to Armour Avenue. This phase is tentatively scheduled to begin July 13 and end August 10.

• In phase 4, the entire road will be closed between Bluegrass and Arthur avenues. This phase is tentatively scheduled to begin August 10 and end November 6.

• In the final phase, phase 5, the entire road will be closed between Spring Valley Avenue and Park Street. This phase is tentatively scheduled to begin November 6 and end June 14, 2010.

New driveways and curbs will also be poured throughout the project. Albert Seeman, vice president of the contract company for the project Amino Brothers Co., Inc., said homeowners whose houses run along Kump can expect to be without access to their driveways twice during the length of the project – once when concrete is poured for the new curbs and once when concrete is poured for the new driveways. He said the new curbs and driveways should be cured and accessible within about three days after the concrete is poured.

Over the course of the project homeowners around the Kump area may have a hard time getting to their homes via their usual route, but Utillities Department director Rick Sailler said the crew working on the project would do all it could to allow for as much access as possible. What’s needed most from homeowners over the next year, he said, is for them to keep in mind that, at the end of these inconveniences, there will be a “nice, new, modern street” for them to drive on.

“Homeowners are gonna need a lot of patience,” he said. “Construction projects are dusty, dirty, muddy, all of the above. We do our best to keep the disturbance down to a minimum.”

Any questions or concerns should be directed to the Utilities Department at (913) 422-8117.

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