Welcome to the Design and Construction Connection a
quarterly newsletter that brings our subscribers up to date on projects that
the Public Works-Design and Construction Division has underway. In addition to our website, you can follow
our projects and team on Facebook and Twitter.
Kaplan Drive
Construction on the Kaplan Drive, Traffic Calming Project
began this July. The first phase of the project was to build a raised
intersection at Kaplan Drive and Lorimer Road, which required the closing of
the intersection. The Kaplan Drive, Lorimer Road intersection, is a vital
corridor for the AB Combs Elementary School, and so this phase of the project
had to be completed prior to school resuming in late August. The intersection
reopened to traffic in the afternoon of August 12, two weeks prior to the start
of school.
The contractor is currently working on the installation of a
sidewalk along the north side of Kaplan Drive from Lorimer Road to Melbourne
Road. After the sidewalk installation is complete construction on more traffic
calming devices along the Kaplan Drive corridor will begin. It is important to
remember that this project is ongoing, and caution is needed through the work
zone, as new traffic patterns will be put into place during the project.
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Leesville Road
The intersection of Leesville Road and Renfield Drive has
reopened to traffic after lowering the grade of the road improving sight distance
along the corridor. The project is in full steam and construction is at
different phases throughout the corridor. It is important to use extreme
caution through the work zone and follow all traffic control signage as new
traffic patterns will be put into place as the project continues.
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Brookside Drive
Traffic Calming Project
The Traffic Calming project along Brookside Drive is almost
complete, with the installation of landscaped curb bump-outs, landscaped
medians, and some new sidewalk and wheelchair ramps. There were also two new
catch basins installed to improve storm drainage, one at Holden Street, and the
other at Glascock Street. Contractors are waiting on cooler temperatures to
install the plantings along the street.
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There are a few projects slated to begin construction this
fall including the Lenoir & South Street Two-Way Conversion Project, The
Six Forks Road Sidewalk Project, and the I-40 Bridge Pedestrian Retrofits
Project. The Six Forks and I-40 Bridge
projects are anticipated to be complete by Summer 2016 while the Lenoir/South
Street Two-Way Conversion project is estimated for completion in late 2016.
Hillsborough Street
On August 22, the Design and Construction team brought
Hillsborough Street’s Past, Present, and Future to Packapalooza, an all-day
street festive celebrating the start of the 2015-2016 school year. The event was an opportunity to show how
Hillsborough Street has evolved over the years and showcase the Hillsborough
Street Revitalization, Phase II plans.
The right of way and easement acquisition phase for the
Hillsborough Street Project is still in progress. This stage of the project can
take several months and at times it may seem like not much is happening, but be
assured that the City’s real estate team is working hard with property owners
and surveyors. In the meantime, the team has been working to ensure that
construction along the corridor is as painless as possible for businesses and
residents along the corridor. The City has plans to have up to date information
available to the public during construction and will help to maintain clear
access to businesses along Hillsborough Street.
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Sandy Forks
The Sandy Forks Road project has had a busy couple of
months. The City submitted the Sandy Forks Road Widening design for preliminary
evaluation for Raleigh’s first Greenroads Certification this July, the right of
way and easement acquisition stage wrapped up, and the bidding process is now
underway. Road construction on this
project is scheduled to begin around December; however, utility relocation work
is already underway by Duke-Progress Energy.
Construction is anticipated to be complete by early Summer 2017.
An artist was selected to develop and create a striking
visualization that is directly tied to the historic development of water in
Raleigh while integrating sustainable materials that tie into the Greenroads
certification of the road.
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Buck Jones Road
The right of way and easement acquisition process is
ongoing. The project is scheduled to go to bid late this fall with construction
slated to begin Winter 2016 and project completion to be late Fall 2017.
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Mitchell Mill Road Widening:
The right of way and easement acquisition should be
completed late this fall, and construction should start Winter 2016 with
project completion scheduled for Summer 2017.
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Transylvania Avenue
The Transylvania Avenue petition project has completed the
right of way and easement acquisition stage and is now being advertised for
bid. Construction on this project is scheduled to begin this fall with the
completion projected for Fall 2016.
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Fox Road
The City will be holding the first of two public meeting on
this project this fall. Stay tuned to social media and the website for date,
time and location information. The road improvement project will install the
missing sections of the curb, gutter and sidewalks along the east and west
sides of Fox Road between Spring Forest Road and Sumner Blvd. Bicycle lanes
will also be installed along this corridor.
Yonkers Road
The Yonkers road project is in the beginning stages of the
design phase. City staff is working with RK&K Engineers to reconstruct the
existing roadway to a 2-lane curb and gutter road with bike lanes and sidewalk
on the south side from Capital Boulevard to New Bern Avenue. Currently, the roadway pavement and structure
is in a degraded condition and needs to be repaired and rehabilitated to
provide an overall safer and structurally sound corridor for traveling.
Pullen Road
The Pullen Road Extension Project is a public/private joint venture project between the City of Raleigh, North Carolina State University, and the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh. The project will extend Pullen Road from Western Boulevard to Centennial Parkway. The road will include bike lanes, medians, a 6-foot sidewalk on the east side, a 10-foot multiuse path on the west side, street trees and street lights on both sides.
Currently, the City has many sidewalk projects for a full
list of projects and their status visit our Current Sidewalk Projects
page.
The City of Raleigh is committed to making Raleigh a more
walkable city. There are two different types of sidewalk projects,
City-initiated projects that typically occur along heavily traveled roadways
included in the Comprehensive Pedestrian Plan, and neighborhood sidewalk
projects handled through the Petition Program.
City-initiated projects focus on fixing gaps along high
volume streets. These sidewalks are ranked in the Raleigh Pedestrian Plan from
a variety of factors, including road classification and traffic volumes,
pedestrian safety, proximity to nearby schools and retail areas, transit
facilities, and connectivity to other sidewalk/greenway facilities within the
City.
Sidewalk Petition Program
The Sidewalk Petition Program provides citizens an
opportunity to initiate sidewalk construction to complete portions of the
sidewalk network that have not been identified by the Pedestrian Program. The
program requires signatures from a majority of property owners along the street
and in most cases there are no costs for residential property owners. Primarily
intended for streets in residential neighborhoods, but sidewalks along
non-residential streets are considered on a case by case basis.
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The Design/Construction Division handles final design and
implementation of traffic calming projects that require major streetscape
measures to promote a safer environment for pedestrians, cyclists, and
vehicular traffic within the City’s neighborhoods. At this time, the division has four traffic
calming projects underway. Brookside
Drive will be completing construction this fall while Glascock Street should
begin work around September.
Construction along Kaplan Drive is underway with completion anticipated
in December. Milburnie Road is in the
final design and land acquisition phase, currently scheduled to begin
construction in mid-2016.
More Information about Neighborhood Traffic Management
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We are pleased to announce that City of Raleigh, Public Works-Design and Construction, Contract Inspector, Billy Clevenger is this year’s recipient of the American Public Works Association-North Carolina Chapter, H.W. Kueffner Award. The H.W. Kueffner Award is presented annually by the Chapter to recognize individuals who are employed in public works for outstanding achievement in local government service. This award specifically excludes Department Heads, Public Works Directors, Managers, Council Members and Mayors. Each nominee must be endorsed by two or more Municipal Officials either elected, appointed or hired. The award is named for Mr. Herbert William Kueffner, Public Works Director for the City of Durham. Mr. Keuffner served as the first North Carolina Chapter president in 1957. The award has been given to a deserving individual each year since 1974. Billy Clevenger is the 42nd recipient of this award.
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Design and Construction gained a new Project Engineer this August, Eric Haugaard. Eric grew up on a small farm in Kalamazoo, Michigan, after graduating from high school, he began a “summer” job as a carpenter building houses. That “summer” job lasted for fifteen years at which point he enrolled in the Civil Engineering program at Michigan State University.
Eric still likes to keep up with Michigan State football and basketball. He has said that Michigan State and the University of Michigan seem to have the same kind of rivalry as North Carolina State and the University of North Carolina. He explains that this is why he finds it natural to pull for NC State. He even said, “Saturdays are always a little better when UNC loses.”
After living in a few different climates, Eric decided North Carolina was the place he wanted to settle down. A couple of years ago he bought a “used house” so he could keep himself busy with home improvement jobs. Now that those jobs are complete he spends his time riding his bike or walking along nearby paved trails.
Eric feels fortunate to be working for the City of Raleigh and being part of a group that maintains and improves the City. As he said, “it really is a good place to live.”
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Richard J. Homovec started his career with the City of
Raleigh as an Engineering Technician in 2001.
Prior to Municipal employment, he had worked in both the private sector
and public sector in a variety of different fields including photography for
local television stations. He has worked for the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The North Carolina Department of
Transportation (NCDOT). He was a United States Coast Guard (USCG) certified
Able Seaman, Any Waters Unlimited employed on US Navy Special Projects and
Survey ships for the Military Sealift Command.
Richard was President of the North Carolina Society of
Surveyors, Triangle Chapter. He had twice received awards from the North
Carolina Society of Surveyors for the statewide Plat Contest. His photographs
were used in the Smithsonian Institutions “Ocean Planet” exhibit, and surveying
articles have been published in “The Tarheel Surveyor” and POB magazine.
Volunteer activities have included Special Olympics World
Summer Games and Special Olympics, North Carolina. Richard was a Steering
Committee member for America’s Sail in Beaufort, NC. Hobbies include Bicycling, Rowing 34’ Crestwood
gigs with Friends of the NC Maritime Museum’s The Beaufort Oars, Reading, and
Gardening.
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