Last Updated: 04/22/2021

Project Update

4/22/2021 Update:

On April 21, the Board of Public Works approved the project with the 26 ft. (parking on one side) design option for Helena St., and they also agreed with the Transportation Commission’s recommendation to not install speed humps on Jenifer St.  The project will next go to the Common Council on May 4.

Project Overview

The proposed reconstruction of Helena St., Jenifer St. and Russell St. includes replacement of the underground city utilities (sanitary sewer main and laterals, water main and storm sewer), along with replacement of the curb and gutter, pavement and gravel base, driveway aprons and sidewalk as needed.

The proposed Helena St. design is a 26 ft. wide street with parking on one side, along with some small bumpouts near the intersections to help preserve some existing trees while also providing some benefit to the pedestrian crossings (parking will be restricted in the bumpout areas).  The side of the street with parking allowed could alternate between the blocks to help provide some additional traffic calming effects, and the existing street sweeping parking restrictions will still remain.  Additionally, we anticipate that there will be approximately 10-14 terrace tree replacements and new plantings on these blocks of Helena St. (depending on locations of underground utilities, etc.)  The wider terrace space will provide for additional soil volume for these trees, which will allow City Forestry to choose from several different tree species with wider canopies.  At the current terrace width (28 ft. wide street), the soil volume available and spacing to the curb and sidewalk really limits the species options that could be planted in the narrower terraces.  This option was also preferred by the neighborhood – see survey summary below.

The alternate design for Helena St. is a 28 ft. wide street with parking on both sides.  This option would still include some small bumpouts to preserve trees and improve those pedestrian crossings, but would result in one additional terrace tree removal on the 1800 block.  The option would provide more on-street parking, but the terrace widths would be too narrow for most of the available street tree species to be planted in the terraces, which would limit the species of those new plantings to very few options.

Jenifer St. and Russell St. are proposed to be reconstructed to match the existing widths and parking conditions.  Two speed humps were considered on Jenifer St., but the speed data that was collected did not indicate a significant speeding issue on the street.  Also, only a small majority of the residents on Jenifer St. that responded to the survey supported the speed humps (56%), but due to the additional costs and maintenance issues with these items, the City’s standard traffic calming program requires at least 60% support, so, for these reasons, the Transportation Commission and Board of Public Works voted to not install speed humps on Jenifer St.
 

View Survey Summary
View Option No. 1
View Option No. 2

Project Limits

Jenifer St. from Walton Pl. to Division St.

Helena St. from Walton Pl. to Division St.

Russell St. from Jenifer St. to Eastwood Dr.

Project Schedule

Anticipated bid: End of May 2021 
Construction: Summer/Fall 2021

Public Involvement

There are a number of points of contact during this project where the public is encouraged to give feedback as part of public information meetings and public hearings. Dates, times and locations are indicated below:

Public Information Meetings

Feb. 1, 2021 Public Information Meeting Recording
Feb. 1, 2021 Public Information Meeting PowerPoint Presentation

City Meetings, Process

Transportation Commission: April 14, 2021, approved
Board of Public Works: April 21, 2021, approved
Common Council: March 4, 2021

*Note: Registering to speak is only necessary for Common Council and Board of Public Works Meetings. You do not need to register to speak at Public Information Meetings. Simply attend with registration, and you'll have an opportunity to share feedback and ask questions. 

Learn more about attending and speaking at the public hearings virtually.

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City Meeting Schedule