Recent construction-related closures on portions of Countryside and Woodside boulevards in southern Hailey will likely last through the middle of October, Hailey City Engineer Tom Hellen said Thursday.
The closures are in place so crews working on the recently approved 421-unit Sweetwater project can install new water and sewer lines for the development.
The demolition of the existing roadway was necessary so crews could place the sewer line near the middle of the roadbed on Countryside Boulevard, Hellen said.
"It's kind of hard to leave that in place," he said. "The quickest and easiest way is to remove the road."
Having recently viewed the ongoing roadwork, Hellen said it looks to be progressing nicely. "It looks like they're ahead of schedule, but (there's) no guarantee on that," he said.
Once the water and sewer work is complete, closed stretches of the two streets will be paved over at the same time, Hellen said.
The total cost of the construction work—both for the water and sewer improvements for the development and the reconstruction on the ripped-up roadways—is being paid for entirely out of the developers' pockets, he noted.
The work is a part of the first construction phase for the Sweetwater project. Further closures related to the four phases of the project won't happen for at least another four years, Hellen said.
Once work on the project is eventually complete, Countryside Boulevard should be a tree-lined and landscaped thoroughfare bisecting the development.
In a move on Aug. 14 that jumpstarted construction on the development, the Hailey City Council approved a planned-unit development application and agreement for the project. The current street closures were put in place only a day or two after the council's approval of the project, Hellen said.
The Sweetwater project is the largest residential development ever proposed in the city of Hailey. Developers envision its mix of various housing types being affordable to the Wood River Valley's working families.
When complete, the project will straddle both sides of Countryside Boulevard. Highway 75 and Woodside Boulevard will bound both sides of the development to the west and east, respectively.
Crews continue to work Thursday on the installation of water and sewer lines for the large 421-unit Sweetwater project in southern Hailey. Due to the ongoing work, portions of Countryside and Woodside boulevards are closed. Work should be complete and the streets reopened sometime during the middle of October. Photo by David N. Seelig
