Sidewalk work continues and pavement work is still expected to begin in July on Highway 101 through Hoquiam and Aberdeen.

“We remain on track to complete this project by late fall of this year,” said Department of Transportation spokeswoman Christina Werner. “There are no current plans to stop work for active contracts due to COVID-19.”

Of course, as with everything else in light of the pandemic, things could change.

“As this is a rapidly evolving time, we remain ready to make any adjustments if or when they’re needed,” said Werner. “We encourage all our contractors to follow the Washington State Department of Health and CDC guidelines for social distancing, personal hygiene and self-quarantine when appropriate.”

The $5.6 million project has the state replacing concrete corner ramps along the repaving project, which runs from Fifth Street in Hoquiam east to F Street near the west end of the Chehalis River Bridge in Aberdeen. The City of Hoquiam has kicked in about $800,000 to replace about 80% of the sidewalks from Fifth Street east to Myrtle Street — $500,000 of that coming from grants. Some new sections of sidewalk have already been poured on the south side of the roadway in east Hoquiam.

There are lane closures in effect as contractors from Rognlin’s Inc. tear out old corner ramps and sections of sidewalk in Hoquiam. Friday, the lane closure ran from just east of the Riverside Bridge to about 29th Street. Single lane closures will be modified as work moves from one stretch to the next, west to east, and as work shifts from sidewalks to the highway itself early in the summer.

“Our contractor anticipates pavement repairs will begin in July,” said Werner. “True paving — grind and inlay — will begin in mid-August and last about three weeks.” Much of the paving work will be done at night to lessen impact on traffic.