MONROE - Sloping terraces, raised sidewalks and new trees are in the details of the city's plans for widening the 8th and 9th streets corridor, with construction set to begin in March.
The redesigning of the streets is being done for the present and future traffic, according to City Engineer Supervisor Al Gerber.
"The life of a street, including curbs and gutters, should be 50 years, with proper maintenance," Gerber said, Thursday.
With such long-term changes, come concerns from some residents along the route.
In an interview Wednesday, Bruce and Jill Stiner, living in the 1300 block of 9th Street, expressed concern that the widening of the road puts the steps of their home four feet closer to the road, about 10 feet from the sidewalk.
"Snow plows splash up against the house, and they'll blow slush and salt up into the house," Bruce Stiner said.
Jill Stiner is worried also about more runoff from the widened street.
But their home, potentially, isn't in the worst situation.
In the 1200 block, the home of Herbert and Lyla Kraus will have only five feet from the porch to the sidewalk, even though little, if any, land in front of their home was acquired by the city.
Gerber said Kraus' home is set the closest to the new road of any house along the route.
But the city is taking care to ensure run-off from the wider street does not swamp residents' yards, he said.
"I'm sure the storm sewers will be able to handle the extra run-off, and storm sewers are being replaced with new structures," Gerber said.
Gerber said sidewalks, five-feet wide, will be raised above the curb height, and five-feet wide terraces slope away from private properties to allow drainage back into the street. Retaining walls are being installed or replaced in some areas, as well.
Driveways will retain their same slope, or better, which means a slope closer to level, Gerber added.
According to Gerber, the streets will require some grade changes to allow for effective water run-off because of the widening and to smooth out the irregularities in the road surfaces.
"Travel grade" changes - eliminating dips and bumps - in the road height will vary, Gerber said.
For example, between 7th and 8th streets, the road will be lowered by three to four inches at most. By 10th Avenue and in the curves near Kwik Trip, the greatest changes will be a six-inch lowering. In other spots, such as between 12th and 13th avenues, the street needs to be raised one foot.
"No more than a one-foot change is needed" anywhere along the corridor between 7th and 20th avenues, Gerber said.
Trees are being removed along the route, but will be replaced by the city with other trees, according to Kelly Finkenbinder, Director of Public Works.
"Typically we will use the tree types that are sold by the Park and Rec terrace tree program," Finkenbinder said.
Those tree types do not grow high enough to interfere with power lines, and their roots don't develop to the point they disturb sewer lines, he added.
"Sewers are the worst, because of the joints," Finkenbinder said.
Finkenbinder is looking at creating a continuous scheme of trees, spaced out along the entire corridor, about two to four per block.
"There's a good chance they will go in the same place the old ones came out, because there was room for a tree in the past," he said.
Finkenbinder also is considering using two or three different species in the scheme, but said the exact landscaping plan has not been finalized.
The city's Parks and Recreation terrace tree program has offered a variety of Ash, Maple, Locust, and Linden trees, in the past.
The redesigning of the streets is being done for the present and future traffic, according to City Engineer Supervisor Al Gerber.
"The life of a street, including curbs and gutters, should be 50 years, with proper maintenance," Gerber said, Thursday.
With such long-term changes, come concerns from some residents along the route.
In an interview Wednesday, Bruce and Jill Stiner, living in the 1300 block of 9th Street, expressed concern that the widening of the road puts the steps of their home four feet closer to the road, about 10 feet from the sidewalk.
"Snow plows splash up against the house, and they'll blow slush and salt up into the house," Bruce Stiner said.
Jill Stiner is worried also about more runoff from the widened street.
But their home, potentially, isn't in the worst situation.
In the 1200 block, the home of Herbert and Lyla Kraus will have only five feet from the porch to the sidewalk, even though little, if any, land in front of their home was acquired by the city.
Gerber said Kraus' home is set the closest to the new road of any house along the route.
But the city is taking care to ensure run-off from the wider street does not swamp residents' yards, he said.
"I'm sure the storm sewers will be able to handle the extra run-off, and storm sewers are being replaced with new structures," Gerber said.
Gerber said sidewalks, five-feet wide, will be raised above the curb height, and five-feet wide terraces slope away from private properties to allow drainage back into the street. Retaining walls are being installed or replaced in some areas, as well.
Driveways will retain their same slope, or better, which means a slope closer to level, Gerber added.
According to Gerber, the streets will require some grade changes to allow for effective water run-off because of the widening and to smooth out the irregularities in the road surfaces.
"Travel grade" changes - eliminating dips and bumps - in the road height will vary, Gerber said.
For example, between 7th and 8th streets, the road will be lowered by three to four inches at most. By 10th Avenue and in the curves near Kwik Trip, the greatest changes will be a six-inch lowering. In other spots, such as between 12th and 13th avenues, the street needs to be raised one foot.
"No more than a one-foot change is needed" anywhere along the corridor between 7th and 20th avenues, Gerber said.
Trees are being removed along the route, but will be replaced by the city with other trees, according to Kelly Finkenbinder, Director of Public Works.
"Typically we will use the tree types that are sold by the Park and Rec terrace tree program," Finkenbinder said.
Those tree types do not grow high enough to interfere with power lines, and their roots don't develop to the point they disturb sewer lines, he added.
"Sewers are the worst, because of the joints," Finkenbinder said.
Finkenbinder is looking at creating a continuous scheme of trees, spaced out along the entire corridor, about two to four per block.
"There's a good chance they will go in the same place the old ones came out, because there was room for a tree in the past," he said.
Finkenbinder also is considering using two or three different species in the scheme, but said the exact landscaping plan has not been finalized.
The city's Parks and Recreation terrace tree program has offered a variety of Ash, Maple, Locust, and Linden trees, in the past.