Busy Urban Streets Get Multi-Modal Update

CMT was selected for a multi-year retainer to design improvements and prepare plans for some of the city’s busiest and aging arterial streets. The essential elements of the arterial program were to provide new curb and gutter, ADA compliant sidewalks, and a 4” thick asphalt pavement over the original pavement materials.

Over a four year period, CMT prepared construction plans for three construction segments along University Street from Nebraska Avenue to Glen Avenue and a fourth project which rebuilt a half mile of Forrest Hill Avenue between Sheridan Road and Knoxville Avenue. Each of these construction projects presented unique and different challenges because of the different land use and right of way constraints. CMT found opportunities to incorporate complete street principles into the reconstructed streets. CMT recommended reconstructing the Forrest Hill and University Street intersection to balance pedestrian and vehicular use of the street.

FORREST HILL

Forrest Hill was rebuilt to provide on-street parking, 53 driveways, bike lanes, LED street and sidewalk lighting, new storm sewers, catch basins and 2 large infiltration basins. The infiltration basins captured runoff from approximately 30 acres of single family residential properties with a few commercial, school and church properties included. Catch basins remove debris before the runoff drains through the aggregate basin designed to store, remove pollutants, and allow for infiltration into subsoils before an overflow pipe releases runoff into the urban stream.

UNIVERSITY STREET

University Street from Nebraska to Glen (2.5 miles) has been reconstructed as three separate projects with new 5’ & 6’ wide sidewalks along both sides, curb and gutter, and a new drainage system that uses infiltration trenches to reduce runoff volume and pollutants. New traffic signals were provided where equipment needed replacement.