Chestnut Avenue closed for construction

Section between Barstow and Matoian avenues closed

By Kim Anderson
The Collegian

Chestnut Avenue between Barstow and Matoian avenues will be closed beginning Monday in continuation with a construction widening project.

The section of Chestnut Avenue between Matoian and Shaw avenues will also close, beginning Monday, March 2.

Traffic on Barstow Avenue will still run east-west and entrance to the Farm Market as well as parking for the Save Mart Center will be off of Barstow.

A temporary access road will be through fields east of Chestnut Avenue and will guide vehicles to event parking.

“During construction it will be a little frustrating,” Amy Armstrong, public information officer for the University Police Department, said. “We just ask that people have patience and arrive early.”

The temporary access road will be an existing farm road which will be oiled and have light towers leading to the East Lot at the Save Mart Center.

A walkway from the East Lot across Chestnut Avenue will be made available for pedestrians.

“My suggestion would be to go to the Save Mart Center Web site and click on the link that says parking and directions. Read that thoroughly as well as the press release with information on the project and maps,” Armstrong said. “I encourage people to be familiar with the construction. If they know what to expect, things might go more smoothly.”

This project, which began the summer of 2006, is to widen Chestnut Avenue into a four-lane road from Shaw to Barstow avenues and three lanes from Barstow to Bullard avenues.

This requires the demolition of the existing roadway, removal of trees, installation of underground utilities and new paving.

“It in order to ensure timely completion of this project, the entire road between Shaw and Bullard avenues must be closed in order to accommodate new underground utility lines,” Deborah Adishian-Astone, associate vice president for Auxiliary Operations and Enterprise Development, said in a FresnoStateNews.com press release.

Funding of $8 million was provided for the project from the state’s Traffic Congestion Relief Program and in 2002, was secured by the university for roadway and intersection improvements for the cities of Fresno and Clovis.

This project exceeds $7 million and was reserved $4.76 million from the Traffic Congestion Relief Program funding.

The rest of the funding comes from negotiation by the university with the Campus Pointe developer to pay the difference as part of the mitigation for the Campus Pointe project.

The portion of Chestnut between Bullard and Barstow avenues is scheduled to be reopened August 2007 with the portion between Barstow and Shaw avenues expected to be completed October 2007.

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