Paving the Way for New Expansion
Posted October 26, 2026 · 7th Street Bridge Project Team · 3 min read
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Video of an excavator demolishing the Lions Market building near the 7th Street Bridge. The machine’s arm tears through the roof and walls as dust rises, and piles of debris fill the lot. A Dewberry inspector in an orange safety vest and white hard hat watches from the foreground. A palm tree and blue sky are in the background. The video ends with the Seventh Street Bridge Project logo and 7thStreetBridge.org.
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Video de una excavadora demoliendo el edificio del Lions Market, cerca del puente de la calle 7. El brazo de la máquina derriba el techo y las paredes mientras se levanta polvo, y montones de escombros cubren el lote. Un inspector de Dewberry con chaleco de seguridad anaranjado y casco blanco observa en primer plano. Al fondo se ven una palmera y el cielo azul. El video termina con el logotipo del Seventh Street Bridge Project y 7thStreetBridge.org.
“I’m standing in the site where the Lions Market used to be.“
Ray Tunkel, Chief Inspector, Dewberry
That’s how Ray Tunkel, chief inspector with Dewberry on the 7th Street Bridge Project opened a recent walk-through of the job site. The Lions Market, a familiar stop near 7th Street and Crows Landing Road, was demolished on October 13th. “It really went quite fast,” Ray says.
Today the lot is cleared and graded. Crews have removed most of the debris and put up safety fencing around the area.
Why the Lions Market Had to Go
The new 7th Street Bridge won’t sit exactly where the old one does. “The Lions Market had to go in order to make way for the new alignment of the bridge,” Ray explains, “which comes quite a bit further to the west than the old bridge.”
Shifting the bridge west puts its approach, the raised roadway that leads up onto the bridge, right through the former market site.
What’s Next for the Site
The cleared lot is the first step toward that new approach. “There will be a retaining wall going through the area that will cover up this area and hold up the approach,” Ray says. The wall will run from the bridge approach through the former market site.
Once the wall is in, a permanent fence will follow along the same line. Until then, temporary fencing keeps the area closed off and safe.
Video Alt text / transcript
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Video walk-through of the cleared Lions Market site near the 7th Street Bridge. The camera shows a graded dirt lot where the market once stood, with a remaining wall section, scattered rubble, and safety fencing and orange cones along the street. The engineer then points across the lot toward the raised embankment of the new bridge approach, with a construction crane and the bridge in the background.
Transcript
Ray Tunkel: They finished removing most of the debris from the Lions Market that was right here and put up a safety fence around the area. In the future, there will be a retaining wall and a permanent fence running from the bridge approach through this area here.
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Video de un recorrido por el terreno despejado donde estaba el Lions Market, cerca del puente de la calle 7. La cámara muestra un lote de tierra nivelada donde antes estaba el mercado, con una sección de pared que aún queda en pie, escombros dispersos y una cerca de seguridad con conos anaranjados a lo largo de la calle. Luego, el ingeniero señala al otro lado del lote hacia el terraplén elevado del nuevo acceso al puente, con una grúa de construcción y el puente al fondo.
Transcripción
Ray Tunkel: Terminaron de retirar la mayor parte de los escombros del Lions Market que estaba justo aquí y colocaron una cerca de seguridad alrededor del área. En el futuro, habrá un muro de contención y una cerca permanente que irán desde el acceso al puente a través de esta área.
Keeping the Neighborhood Moving
While the market site was being cleared, work continued just down the street. On Saturday, October 24 , crews paved the intersection of 7th Street and Crows Landing Road.
Working in a busy neighborhood means juggling a lot at once. Ray says the crew did a great job “balancing out the people that need to get to their homes here, the buses that need to get through the project, and the construction that has to go on.” A flagger kept traffic moving and everyone safe.
The paving itself takes teamwork. One crew member rakes the fresh asphalt into place “just right so that when the roller goes over it, it makes a smooth transition” between the old pavement and the new.
People on foot have a safe route too. Ray walked from Sunrise Village across the street using the project’s new pedestrian access plan. “Even here on a day when there’s quite a bit of construction activities, there’s a great way for the people to get safely through the neighborhood.” he says.
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Video of a weekend paving operation at the intersection of 7th Street and Crows Landing Road. Crew members in high-visibility vests and hard hats work beside a paving machine while orange traffic delineators separate the work zone from the open lanes. A single-story auto wreckers building and utility poles line the street in the background under a clear blue sky.
Transcript
Ray Tunkel: Here we are today at the intersection of 7th Street and Crows Landing Road. We’re getting Saturday paving in, trying to get this intersection paved. And these guys are doing great, balancing out the people that need to get to their homes here, the buses that need to get through the project, and the construction that has to go on.
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Video de trabajos de pavimentación en fin de semana en la intersección de la calle 7 y Crows Landing Road. Trabajadores con chalecos de alta visibilidad y cascos trabajan junto a una máquina pavimentadora, mientras delineadores anaranjados separan la zona de trabajo de los carriles abiertos. Al fondo, bajo un cielo azul despejado, se ven un edificio de un piso de un deshuesadero de autos y postes de luz a lo largo de la calle.
Transcripción
Ray Tunkel: Aquí estamos hoy en la intersección de la calle 7 y Crows Landing Road. Estamos pavimentando este sábado, tratando de terminar de pavimentar esta intersección. Y estos muchachos están haciendo un gran trabajo, equilibrando las necesidades de las personas que tienen que llegar a sus casas aquí, los autobuses que tienen que pasar por el proyecto y la construcción que tiene que seguir adelante.
Getting Ready for Winter
The weekend paving does more than smooth out the road. “Completing these bottom lifts of paving goes a long way towards winterizing this site and making it available for the public,” Ray says.
With the Lions Market cleared and fresh pavement down, the area around 7th Street and Crows Landing is ready for the next phase of work. To keep up with the project, check out the project updates page at 7thStreetBridge.org .
Questions or Comments?
Email Us At construction@pw.stancounty.info
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