Project Downtown’s completion pushed back again

PULLMAN – The city of Pullman’s project to rebuild downtown is experiencing more setbacks.

Mayor Francis Benjamin said he was hopeful construction would be fully complete Friday, but crews need more time to wrap things up.

The project is now expected to be finished by the end of the month, he said. Truck and vehicle detours on Bishop Boulevard will remain in place until the first week of December, when officials now expect Main Street to fully reopen.

Since April, Main has been closed while crews from Apollo Inc., a Kennewick-based construction company, rebuild downtown’s streets, sidewalks and utilities.

The barriers blocking the roadway were anticipated to come down Oct. 15. That deadline was pushed back twice, and Main Street opened to limited traffic Nov. 14.

Benjamin said the delay was primarily due to contaminated soil and underground work.

He said the biggest challenge has been dealing with heavy rain and snow because much of the work is weather dependent.