There are only two seasons in the city of Ames: winter and construction. This season has seen some major road repairs among other projects.

Each year, a Capital Improvements Plan is submitted to city council to prioritize and plan budgets for various projects around the city in the areas of public safety, utilities, transportation and community enrichment over the course of five years. The plan for 2011 budgeted $51,491,500 to be spent on streets engineering and maintenance over the next five years.

John Joiner, director of public works, said that as of July 1, $9 million to 12 million had been spent on this year’s road construction projects.

Two major projects being worked on this summer are on Lincoln Way and Ash Avenue.

The inside lanes of Lincoln Way between Riverside Drive and Hazel Avenue are closed due to water service transfer work. Water mains are flushed annually to eliminate rust that may have collected in the ducts. In addition to flushing the water mains, preparations have been made to bore new water services underneath Lincoln Way in order to transfer water services from the older water mains. All lanes are expected to be open Aug. 10 in order to accommodate students moving to Iowa State.

Ash Avenue is closed from Knapp Street to south of Country Club Boulevard for full pavement replacement work. A new storm sewer will be installed in this area along with the dirt sub grade, sub drain, curb and gutter.

A bike lane is also being constructed on Ash Avenue from south of Country Club Boulevard to south of Mortensen Parkway. Mill and overlay the existing surface is occurring in this area as well.

Eric Cowles, civil engineer II for the city’s public works, said Ash Avenue is expected to be open to traffic before Iowa State’s first football game on Sept. 1, even if the projects are not completed by then.

Cowles also said pavement replacement projects that are currently out for bid could begin construction this fall or spring and would affect the following areas: Douglas Avenue from Main Street to Seventh Street, Ridgewood Avenue from 13th Street to 16th Street, Meadowlane Avenue from 13th Street to Carr Drive, and South Oak Avenue from South Fourth Street to Lincoln Way.

For a complete list of current construction projects and updates, please visit the city of Ames website.