It's coming ... it's here! The extreme makeover to the downtown has been in progress and as weather cooperates, will become more visible in the weeks ahead, so it seems appropriate to give an update on Streetscape 2009 in this column.
Irv's Masonry started the process by constructing barrier walls for the more than two dozen buildings that had direct openings in their basements to long abandoned coal vaults extending under the sidewalk, and in some cases well under the street. This work executed from the inside over the past month will help expedite the process ahead, as with these walls in place, the vaults are ready to fill when exposed during sidewalk reconstruction.
The next step will be the installation of a new water line, which also will be executed by a local contractor. This month as the city removes the center meters, E&N Hughes will trench and insert a new water line, starting at the northwest corner and moving counterclockwise around the Square.
There will be some temporary parking loss during this process, but traffic flow should not be affected, and the new line will be ready to be activated in the late summer when the 60- and 100-year-old water mains serving the Square are retired permanently.
Next comes the main event. Once bid and contracted, we can expect work to replace sidewalks and repair utilities to begin on the northeast corner or where 10th Street and 17th Avenue meet. For a few weeks, this intersection will be closed to vehicle traffic though traffic around the Square will remain fluid.
Phase one of the construction will include utility work and sidewalk reconstruction only. After the northeast corner is complete, work will move to the northwest corner, the southwest corner and be completed at the southeast corner.
Phase Two of the construction will include the repaving of the outer lanes.
Phase Three will include repaving the inner lanes with some utility work at the Courthouse curb. Both of these phases are expected to be staged in the same manner as the sidewalk reconstruction, starting at the northeast corner and moving counterclockwise around the Square.
The plan is designed to keep traffic flowing and businesses accessible. Concerts, Market on the Square, Chili Fest and other downtown special events will occur as scheduled, with perhaps a little flexibility in specific locations required.
It has been 60 years since work of this magnitude has been conducted in the downtown.
Photos that exist from the 1949 work in progress makes one wonder how the businesses on the Square survived. Our local engineering team from Fehr-Graham has thoughtfully planned a much better scenario for this Streetscape project, with the intent that rather than just surviving, our downtown will thrive. It will be an exciting process of transformation and I invite you to come downtown and watch us grow!
- Barb Nelson is director of Monroe Main Street. She writes a monthly update on the organization for the Monroe Times. She can be reached at 328-4023.
Irv's Masonry started the process by constructing barrier walls for the more than two dozen buildings that had direct openings in their basements to long abandoned coal vaults extending under the sidewalk, and in some cases well under the street. This work executed from the inside over the past month will help expedite the process ahead, as with these walls in place, the vaults are ready to fill when exposed during sidewalk reconstruction.
The next step will be the installation of a new water line, which also will be executed by a local contractor. This month as the city removes the center meters, E&N Hughes will trench and insert a new water line, starting at the northwest corner and moving counterclockwise around the Square.
There will be some temporary parking loss during this process, but traffic flow should not be affected, and the new line will be ready to be activated in the late summer when the 60- and 100-year-old water mains serving the Square are retired permanently.
Next comes the main event. Once bid and contracted, we can expect work to replace sidewalks and repair utilities to begin on the northeast corner or where 10th Street and 17th Avenue meet. For a few weeks, this intersection will be closed to vehicle traffic though traffic around the Square will remain fluid.
Phase one of the construction will include utility work and sidewalk reconstruction only. After the northeast corner is complete, work will move to the northwest corner, the southwest corner and be completed at the southeast corner.
Phase Two of the construction will include the repaving of the outer lanes.
Phase Three will include repaving the inner lanes with some utility work at the Courthouse curb. Both of these phases are expected to be staged in the same manner as the sidewalk reconstruction, starting at the northeast corner and moving counterclockwise around the Square.
The plan is designed to keep traffic flowing and businesses accessible. Concerts, Market on the Square, Chili Fest and other downtown special events will occur as scheduled, with perhaps a little flexibility in specific locations required.
It has been 60 years since work of this magnitude has been conducted in the downtown.
Photos that exist from the 1949 work in progress makes one wonder how the businesses on the Square survived. Our local engineering team from Fehr-Graham has thoughtfully planned a much better scenario for this Streetscape project, with the intent that rather than just surviving, our downtown will thrive. It will be an exciting process of transformation and I invite you to come downtown and watch us grow!
- Barb Nelson is director of Monroe Main Street. She writes a monthly update on the organization for the Monroe Times. She can be reached at 328-4023.
