Improvements coming to Washington Avenue and Westcott Street roundabout

The roundabout at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Westcott Street will soon be given a face-lift with goals of improving driving surfaces and pedestrian safety.

In an Aug. 19 Super Neighborhood 22 meeting for the Washington Avenue/Memorial Park area, Colin Lupold, managing engineer at Houston Public Works, spoke about the project. Included in the safety improvements are replacement of damaged curbs; refreshed signage and pavement markings; the installation of raised crosswalks to improve visibility and bring speeds down; drainage improvements to mitigate ponding; and repairs to damaged roadway surfaces.

Street rehabilitation will also be implemented within project boundaries, Lupold said. These efforts will address tripping hazards on sidewalks and bring ramps up to Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

Portable, changeable message signs will be set up prior to starting construction. However, discussions as to where these will be placed are still underway.

Lupold said the construction will be on a 150-day schedule. As of right now, there is no official starting date, but an anticipated start date is for mid- to late fall.

During construction, the area will be treated with traditional traffic-control measures to minimize the effects on route accessibility, Lupold said. The project will be done in phases that will be limited to single-lane closures on the main approaches. The inner portion of the roundabout will be tackled first with construction then moving to the outer ring.

“We’re sensitive to [concerns]. ... Driving through a work zone can be a headache,” Lupold said. “It's not going to be perfect, but it will let us do the work we need to while still having routes accessible.”

Lance Gilliam, chief of staff within the Houston City Council District C office, said the office is open to helping with beautification for the area.