Staunton engineers say tunnel and street repairs are on schedule; major closures, parking impacts planned

City engineer Tim Hartless told Staunton City Council on June 25 that the downtown tunnel and street repair program is moving forward and that the Buyer (Buyer/Byer) Street tunnel replacement is slightly ahead of the contractor's original schedule. Hartless said precast concrete sections for the Buyer Street tunnel are being prepared offsite and are expected to be delivered and installed in mid‑July. "The purple shaded area represents the pre‑cast section... they will be delivered in mid‑July and installed," Hartless said.

Hartless said Buyer Street work began in February and completion is anticipated in August. New Street — a partial ceiling/utility replacement — is scheduled to begin next week; Johnson Street full replacement will follow once Buyer Street is finished and will require the most disruptive closures. He warned that Johnson Street work will close that block and that Buyer Street will serve as a major detour: "Johnson Street work... is going to close off Johnson Street. So that's going to be the most impactful phase for traffic," Hartless said.

Officials also reviewed staging and parking: the warf staging area will use roughly 41 spaces and other lots to support construction; Hartless said that during the Johnson Street phase the city expects at least 140 parking spaces to remain available (up from 115 available at the time of the presentation) and key surface restorations and guardrail/fencing will follow the structural work. The project includes utility relocations (water, sewer, gas); Hartless said the existing water line is old cast‑iron and will be replaced with ductile iron and relocated beneath the new structure for improved hydraulics and system health.

Council asked about traffic and safety during peak events; Hartless said the contractor provided auto‑turn analysis and the city is coordinating detours, signage and wayfinding with partners (first responders, transit and schools) and will monitor impacts. Completion sequencing is Buyer Street through August, New Street into the fall, and Johnson Street beginning after Buyer Street finishes and extending into next spring, pending field conditions and weather.