Pullman’s Main Street scheduled to reopen to limited traffic today

The barriers blocking Main Street are set to come down early this morning.

The roadway is expected to open to at least one lane of westbound traffic by 6 a.m. today if weather allows. Truck and vehicle detours on Bishop Boulevard will remain in place until construction is finished in late November.

The city of Pullman’s consultant, Coeur d’Alene-based engineering firm Welch Comer, announced on Project Downtown’s website that the long-anticipated revitalization will finish soon.

Since April, Main Street has been closed while crews from Apollo Inc., a Kennewick-based construction company, rebuild downtown’s streets, sidewalks and utilities.

Main was initially expected to open by Oct. 15. The deadline was pushed back twice, and is now a month behind schedule. Construction should be fully completed by Nov. 22.

With the reopening of Main, the public is asked to stay alert for construction vehicles and workers as the area is actively being worked on.

Sidewalks have been open during the project and pedestrians are able to access downtown and businesses. Some parallel parking will be available where possible.

Next week, crews will be replacing trees that were planted downtown. Welch Comer said there was a mix-up in species by the nursery Hornbeam Trees and the correct ones will be planted.

The city opted to purchase the mis-planted trees at a reduced price and plans to place them in city parks.

The nearly $12 million project was funded by $9.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act. In September, the Whitman County Commissioners gave the city $200,000 to aid costs.

The project has run into several hiccups along the way — the once four-month construction job will now be an eight-month job. The project is also running over budget from added costs related to treating contaminated soil that delayed its completion date.

Public invited to take a look at new downtown

The community is invited to take a look at the new downtown at the “Sneak Peek at the New Concrete” event scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Saturday in High Street Mall on Main Street.

The free event celebrating the end of the revitalization project includes a scavenger hunt, prizes, photo opportunities and live music.

Later in the evening, KZUU Radio will host its Main Street Music Festival from 5-10 p.m. downtown. The festival includes live music and a “Cement Mixer Pub Crawl” to local bars and breweries.

The event is sponsored by the Pullman Civic Trust, Downtown Pullman Association and Pullman Chamber of Commerce. More information is available at pullmancivictrust.org.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.