🎥 Project Director: 43rd St. reconstruction should be done by Memorial Day

Signs inside Walmart remind departing customers to exit at the north end of the parking lot.

Vehicles currently cannot exit Walmart property to the south.

Sidewalk work on the north side of 43rd began Friday.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

In Oct. 2018, 45th Street was reconstructed on the north side of the Hays Walmart by the project general contractor Vogts-Parga, Newton.

Work was stopped over the winter and resumed March 18 on 43rd Street on the south side of Walmart.

“They started busting out the old concrete and found out the base underneath was in bad shape, which we expected,” according to John Braun, Hays public works director. “It was really wet. The weather didn’t help a whole lot in getting it dried out quickly.”

A subcontractor, M&D Excavating, Hays, has been working diligently to prepare the base, and it’s now ready, Braun told Hays city commissioners Thursday.

Vogts-Parga began pouring sidewalks Friday.

This week crews are scheduled to pour concrete in the north lanes of 43rd near Wolf Furniture Galleries on Monday and Tuesday.

Wednesday and Thursday, the west end of 43rd, which is completely torn out, will be poured.

Next week traffic control will shift; the next few weeks, work will shift to the south lanes of 43rd in front of Wendy’s restaurant.

Braun anticipates the project will be completed before Memorial Day.

The sections of 45th and 43rd Streets adjacent to Walmart were approved for reconstruction due to pavement failure.

The pavement reconstructions are separate from the planned extension of 43rd Street by developers to serve the forthcoming Hilton Garden Inn and convention center west of Walmart.