North Rusk Reconstruction Project
0/16/2019 – North Rusk Avenue Construction Update
Things will be pretty quiet over the next week.
After the flurry of activity over the past couple weeks, things will be slowing down. Most of the restoration work is complete. Gerke will be coming through and reseeding all of the boulevards and any other touch ups. Most of the trees have been planted, however City crews will be planting a few additional ones tomorrow. A lot of trees are gone but there are a few left if your are still wanting them.
The last block of asphalt paving on Church between North East Avenue and Washington will happen mid to late next week.
Now is the time Gerke will be coming through doing the final touch ups before the winter. Please let us know if anything is outstanding. The work has a one year warranty period so any damage or grass not growing between now and next year will be remedied by Gerke. Please let us know if anything comes up.
Contact me if you have questions or need additional accommodations. Sarah Grainger, City Engineer at 608-637-7154 ext. 20 or [email protected].
The North Rusk Avenue project is full street reconstruction where watermain, sewer main, sidewalk and the road surface are replaced. We are also adding storm sewer where there has not previously been storm sewer. The road cross-section is also changing slightly in some areas.The construction project area is North Rusk Avenue from Parkinson to Linton, Church Street from Rusk to North East Avenue and Washington Avenue from Church St. to Parkinson St. Please see map above.
The current plan is for construction to start in mid-July. The project is anticipated to last 2-3 months. Please note that scheduling in construction is difficult. Weather, material availability, underground surprises and unplanned delays inevitably will change the schedule. The City thanks you in advance for understanding the expected schedule changes.
Also subject to change is project sequencing. The City expects the project will start at the Broadway and Rusk Street intersection. From there the project will likely move south to Church Street.
There are a number of items that are important for landowners to be aware of:
- Property Access – Pedestrian access to properties will always be maintained. Vehicular access will be restricted at times depending on the location of excavation. As soon as possible we will create a drive-able gravel surface. Anyone with accessibility concerns should contact Sarah Grainger in order to develop alternative plans.
- Temporary Limited Easements (TLE) – Sarah Grainger may be in contact with some landowners regarding TLEs. TLEs are optional. They are temporary agreements allowing the City access to the front 15ft of your property to perform grading. For those who have a steep driveway this will be particularly important if you want to minimize the current steep grade.
- Temporary water – Temporary water may be used during this project. That means for a period of time your water may be serviced from above ground hosing until the connection to the watermain is reestablished. We will notify you 48 hrs in advance of water shut off unless in an emergency situation. Further to this, any time construction is near your property it is a good idea to fill buckets of water in case water service is disrupted unexpectedly.
- Replacement of water and sewer services from your property line to your serviced structure is optional unless you have galvanized property-side service connected to a galvanized city-side service. If you have property-side galvanized service pipe connected to galvanized pipe on the city-side you will be asked to replace your service. The City has funding in place for these galvanized to galvanized replacements as they are considered lead services. Please discuss this funding with Sarah Grainger. You can also visit the lead replacement program webpage at this link for more information. When we excavate your service, the City will replace the line from the main to your property line. We will inform you of the condition of your line and the materials as seen at the property line. It is significantly more economical to replace old lines when we excavate in front of your home. If you have recently replaced your service you likely have the correct materials and they are in good condition. If you aren’t aware of the service material or if you are not sure if it has been replaced you should contact a plumber about the potential for work. We will not be able to tell you until the last minute the exact day we will be excavating in front of your property. Please start making contacts with plumbers now. For low income property owners, Couleecap has funding options for you. Please contact Taylor LeJeune, Outreach Assistant, Couleecap, Inc. at 608-796-9062 or [email protected]. There are also options to have the water or sewer service replacement cost assessed to your taxes over a 5 year period. Please contact Sarah Grainger about this option.
Please contact Sarah Grainger, City Engineer at 608-637-7154 ext. 20 or [email protected] with any questions.
If you know someone who would like to be added to the mailing list please also contact Sarah at [email protected].