Construction may snare motorists

Utility work being planned for an already challenging road intersection in Richmond will require motorists to adjust their routes starting next week.

During their April 10 meeting, the Richmond Board of Public Works and Safety heard about the need to close sections of eastbound U.S. Highway 40 and 37th Street in front of the Kroger and Walmart shopping areas. Sewer and water line updates will be made in support of a new Valvoline oil change location at the northeast corner of the Kroger plaza.

Starting on Monday, April 21, motorists should expect these changes:

• The right lane of U.S. 40 leading up to Golden Corral’s parking lot will be closed, and no right turns toward Kroger will be allowed. Motorists will have to continue straight on U.S. 40, or go left on to Elks Road.
• It will not be possible to cross U.S. 40 from South 37th Street to Elks Road or vice versa. Instead, motorists traveling north from Backmeyer Road will have to turn right in to Kroger or left toward the Murphy USA gas station. Traffic traveling south on Elks Road will have to turn right or left on to U.S. 40.

The closures are expected to last for approximately a week while crews complete the work. The City of Richmond is encouraging drivers to plan for extra travel time in the area.

During the meeting, board members expressed concern about potential traffic backups and the need for state involvement in related traffic signal modifications. They asked project planners to consider adding evening hours to their crew’s schedules to minimize closures, and approved a related noise variance for the duration of the work.