McKeown Avenue, will be the focal point of Phase II of the town’s nearly $2,000,000 multifaceted project to upgrade its street and roads, starting in early May.
When the project is completed, around the end of August, according to Patagonia Town Manager Ron Robinson, townfolk will see a dramatically different landscape from the one that existed at the start of construction. The reward for months of disruption of both foot and vehicular traffic will be the creation of designated parking spaces along the north side of the street, a new sidewalk running the full length of the block alongside the parking, enlargement and paving of the helipad and a path on the south side of the street that is friendly to both bikers and pedestrians.
The entire 200 block of McKeown will be repaved, as will the post office and Mariposa Clinic parking areas. The new parking spaces along McKeown will be angled to facilitate easy access from either direction. Half the spaces will be angled to make it easy for vehicles in the eastbound lane to pull in and back out and half will be angled the opposite way for westbound vehicles.
To enhance safety for people walking to and from the post office, clinic, stores and other businesses in this area, pedestrian crossings will be painted on the finished pavement where McKeown intersects with Third and Taylor Aves.
McKeown will remain open during construction; however, at times traffic will be limited to a single lane, meaning traffic in both directions will alternate under the guidance of traffic control personnel and signage.
The project’s costs are being underwritten almost entirely by South32. Hunter Contractors performed the work on Phase I and will complete Phase II as well.