AVENUE S WORK BEHIND SCHEDULE WINTER RAINS WERE AMONG DELAYING FACTORS.

Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Unexpected delays in building a railroad bridge have pushed the completion of Palmdale's $23 million widening of Avenue S into September or October.

The full four lanes are expected to open in late August in the western three-quarters of the stretch being widened, but traffic will still be restricted to two lanes across the Union Pacific railroad tracks near 20th Street East for an additional month or two, a city official said.

``The bridge itself is the driving force behind the schedule at this point,'' said Tim Hughes, deputy public works director. ``This is pushing our completion date into late summer or early fall.''

Previously expected to be done by August, the bridge work was slowed by heavy winter rains and also by unexpected complications, such as needing to relocate a railroad fiber-optic system, Hughes said.

The western 1.7 miles of the stretch, from the Antelope Valley Freeway to a place near Sheffield Drive, west of the railroad bridge, is expected to open by the end of August, Hughes said.

Construction began in October 2003 on widening Avenue S from two lanes to four between the Antelope Valley Freeway and 20th Street East. Officials said the project is among the largest and most complex in city history.

In addition to widening a street that is one of Palmdale's main east-west routes, the work includes installing some new traffic signals and upgrading others, adding a bike path, realigning the intersection with 20th Street East, and installing new warning lights and crossing gates at the Metrolink train crossing near Sierra Highway.

To get the wider road across the freight train tracks near 20th Street East, workers had to build a new two-lane bridge, tear down the old bridge and then build a second new two-lane bridge.

Eventually, one bridge will carry westbound traffic and the other will carry eastbound traffic.

The old two-lane bridge, built in the 1960s, didn't meet current standards for seismic strength and railroad clearance. Retrofitting the old bridge would have cost more than building a new one, city officials said. Updates on the project can be viewed on the Internet at www.cityofpalmdale.org/s.

Charles F. Bostwick, [phone]

chuck.bostwick(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Slowed by winter rains and other factors, workers will miss a goal of completing new bridge construction and road widening on Avenue S by August.

(2) Construction crews continue work on a $23 million Avenue S road-widening project under way in Palmdale.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer