South Rusk and Washington Reconstruction Project

Paving and Restoration in the coming weeks!

It is about that time of the project where things start slowing down. This past week crews have been preparing for the paving crew, Mathy Construction. They are supposed to start next week. First, the paving crew will do final grading and, hopefully, by the end of the week we will see the pavers come in.

Restoration is the other main objective. Black dirt and grass seeding is in the works. We currently have 76 new trees with a homes on the project. That is more trees then were removed on the project due to health of the tree or conflicts! Tree planting will happen in the next two to three weeks.  We have a goal of a hundred new trees planted, so if you don’t have trees slated for your boulevard yet or you have more space and want additional trees, please let me know. The trees remaining below are listed below.   

Important information about the project is available at the construction webpage on the City website at https://ehv.c2e.myftpupload.com/?p=14027. If you have any questions, wish to set up an appointment to discuss sight specific needs one or one, or wish to provide your email to receive these updates, feel free to contact me at 608-606-0620 or [email protected].

Bald Cypress 1.5″ Caliper – 1

Hawthorne 1.5″ Caliper – 1

Crabapple – white – 2 

Hackberry – 3

Gingko – Bed – 7

Quercus ellip Northern Pin Oak – 9

Tilia am Frontyard Linden – 4

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The South Rusk and Washington Avenue project is full street reconstruction where watermain, sewer main, storm sewer, sidewalk and the road surface are replaced. The road width is also changing slightly. The South Rusk & Washington Avenue Reconstruction Project includes Rusk from Decker to Hwy 14 (except Jefferson to Terhune), and Washington from Court to Oak Street. Please see the map above. The current plan is for construction to start the spring of 2021.

The City held a second public meeting on February 17th, 2021. You can access that presentation two ways: by clicking here for a .pdf of the presentation or clicking this link to a YouTube video of the presentation. 

There are a number of items that are important for landowners to be aware of:

1. 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.
2. 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. 
3. 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.
4. 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].