Installing one of the 58-foot stripes in an artist's rendering of Old Glory is Kenny Hoover of King Fab Steel Fabricators & Erectors. It will rest atop the new overpass.
Posted on 11/01/2005 5:51:06 PM PST by SandRat
Workers are applying appropriately patriotic artwork this week to the Veterans Memorial Interchange overpass, one of the final tasks remaining on the South Palo Verde Road project.
Work will continue throughout the week on the stars and stripes that now adorn the new overpass spanning the eastern portion of the Barraza-Aviation Parkway and nearby structures.
The theme was chosen by members of the City of Tucson/Pima County Veterans Affairs Committee, said Carol Anton, county Transportation Department spokeswoman.
Lester Potts, the committee's senior vice president, said its members chose artwork that would serve as a tribute to the veterans for whom the structure is named.
"We chose those designs to represent all the services and to reflect credit back to the military for their services and sacrifices," Potts said.
Anton said work on the designs continuing through this week, along with some road work and other last-minute tasks, will cause some delays for motorists. They include:
*A different Aviation Parkway lane will be closed each day while crews work underneath the overpass on the artwork.
*Heavy truck traffic will cause delays on Richey Boulevard, northwest of the overpass, as construction crews pave the new Park and Ride lot. Flaggers will direct traffic through the area, Anton said.
*Daytime delays also are likely along Palo Verde around the 36th and 37th street on- and off-ramps as crews apply the final layer of striping. Police and pilot vehicles will lead motorists through those areas.
Work on roadways around the overpass should be done in time for a Nov. 12 dedication ceremony, Anton said.
Crews may continue working on landscaping, retaining walls and other enhancements after that, she said. The new overpass replaced the narrow 50-year-old structure on one of the city's major north-south arterials on the city's South Side just west of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
The contractor for the $23 million county project, Hunter Contracting Co., also built a shared-use pathway on the west side of overpass and rebuilt two nearby Palo Verde Road intersections, at 36th Street and at 37th Street/Golf Links Road.
Honoring Arizona's Vets
Have seen this overpass when visiting the folks. Great spirit lifter!AWB
Coolness ping
Wouldn't it be great if other cities did something like this!
I'm actually surprised that Tucson is doing it.
BTTT
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