Petersburg Pilot -

SECON construction has a couple weeks of work left in Petersburg before they shut down for the season and winterize their ongoing project. Alaska Department of Transportation (ADOT) will maintain the project until SECON returns in the spring. SECON's project manager Ralph Vigilante says the company's major priority prior to leaving town is to finish paving on Haugen Drive.

The abrupt edges on lower Haugen Drive, starting at Nordic Drive and heading up the hill to 8th St., will have flush and finished asphalt soon.

“We anticipated on having it paved by now, but the weather hit and obviously we can't pave in the rain,” says SECON project manager Ralph Vigilante. “The paving crew is in town. They're here waiting for the weather to break.”

SECON is constantly monitoring the weather, but having 14 inches of rain in the last 20 days is just part of working in Southeast. Vigilante says he expects to have the paving on lower Haugen Drive and upper Haugen Drive, from the airport to Sandy Beach Road, completed this weekend.

Closing traffic from James A. Johnson Airport to Sandy Beach Road was necessary because SECON is using a cement asphalt treated base course.

“If we open it up to traffic in inclement weather like this, it will form potholes,” Vigilante says. “There's no way to repair a pothole, unless you go through and regrind the road.”

SECON is also busy completing curb and gutter removal at the south end of the Borough. The project started at the ferry terminal and Vigilante hopes to reach Marion St. before SECON leaves town. Come spring, when the work starts back up, removal will continue all the way to Haugen Drive.

Spring operations will resume in April, and fixing the dilapidated and bumpy Louis Miller Bridge residing over Hammer Slough will be a priority. SECON will also be finishing the rest of the Haugen Drive bike path. ADOT requested the bike path remain unfinished, giving it time to settle for a freeze and thaw cycle due to its Muskeg foundation. In the meantime, people can walk on the path, but riding bikes is not recommended because its uneven surface could lead to damaged bikes or possible injury to riders. Vigilante says the entire project should be completed mid-to-late July.