MARINA >> This week work on the Imjin Parkway Widening and Roundabout Project through Marina will see construction of a new driveway on the parkway at the Shell service station completed among other actions such as the opening of Abrams Drive on the north side which took place last week.

The project affects 1.7 miles of Imjin Parkway from Reservation Road to Imjin Road and will include the construction of four roundabouts and increase the stretch of roadway to four lanes, with completion estimated to be June 2026.

Other work on the Imjin Parkway project through the end of the week will include efforts to continue earthwork and grading and base rock for the south side of Imjin Parkway roadway section from the Preston Drive half roundabout to Reservation Road, continue work forming and placing concrete for the half roundabout on the south side at Preston Avenue, and constructing new curb and ADA ramps at Imjin Parkway and Reservation Road on the southeast corner.

Crews will also install revised striping and transition traffic between Preston and Abrams drives on the north side to transition traffic to the north roadbed which coincided with the reopening of Abrams Drive on the north side to right-in/right-out traffic movements and the closing of Abrams Drive on the south side, and install revised striping and transition traffic near Imjin Road to the south roadbed and reopen Imjin Road to right-in/right-out traffic movements.

The closure of Abrams Drive on the south side is so that crews can grind and remove existing pavement, resume earthwork and grading, and begin the installation of underground facilities such as streetlight electrical conduit, fiber optic conduit and irrigation piping. Work to construct new curb, sidewalk and ADA ramps at the southeast corner of Imjin Parkway and Reservation Road, and continue environmental monitoring of contractor activities job wide will also occur.

A closure of Imjin Parkway from California Avenue to Reservation Road occurred last Thursday to allow for work required to shift traffic at Abrams Drive where the north side reopened to right in/right out traffic. Last Friday, Abrams Drive on the south side was closed to all traffic to construct the new roadway and the south half of the roundabout. The completion of Abrams Drive on the south side is expected in early August. Imjin Road was reopen to right in/right out traffic and traffic on Imjin Parkway and shifted from the north side of the roundabout to the newly constructed south side — the side closest to Imjin Road — of the roundabout.

The Imjin Parkway Widening and Roundabout Project is a two-year effort to widen and increase safety on a traffic artery for about 30,000 daily motorists moving between the Salinas area and the Monterey Peninsula.

The construction of the Imjin Parkway project aims to complete all earthwork — cuts and fills — by the end of June, with the reopening of Abrams Drive south side in August.

Traffic control is at an enforceable speed limit of 25 mph through the construction zone, while the recommended speed through the roundabouts during construction is 15 mph.

The Imjin Parkway project moved into phase two in early March with traffic now moving on the newly constructed north side of the parkway as work focuses on the south side on its way to project completion.

Once phase two is complete, phase three will be miscellaneous roadwork, including demolishing temporary paving, roadway paving and temporary striping, drainage utilities and lighting and grading.

Phase four will be final paving — top lift — and striping.

Upon completion, the Imjin Parkway Widening and Roundabout Project will add on-street buffered bike lanes, stormwater treatment areas, retaining walls and a sound wall.

The improvements aim to benefit commuters who travel through the corridor, as well as those who live along Imjin Parkway at Cal State Monterey Bay and the neighboring homes in Marina Heights, Sea Haven and Preston Park.

The city of Marina is the lead agency for the project, which is also the second regional Transportation Agency for Monterey County Measure X project to be built. Measure X was the November 2016 ballot measure approved by 67.7% of Monterey County voters for the Transportation Agency’s Transportation Safety and Investment Plan.

The Imjin Parkway Widening and Roundabout Project’s $40.5 million in funding sources include $2 million from Marina generated from development impact fees, around $18.2 million from Transportation Agency for Monterey County’s Measure X and about $20.2 million from California’s SB1 local partnership program.

To stay informed about the Imjin Parkway Widening and Roundabout Project, visit the project website at www.imjinparkway.com or call Edrie De Los Santos, city of Marina, at (831) 884-1212.