Committee holds design hearing for Marston Alley reconstruction in Aldermanic District 10

The Municipal Services Committee on Oct. 20 heard a design presentation for reconstruction of Marston Alley, a one-block alley south of Lawrence Street between Spruce Street and Summit Street, and closed the public hearing with no comments.

Project engineer Jason Brown told the committee the alley is scheduled for reconstruction in 2026 and is in Aldermanic District 10. “As you mentioned, we are looking tonight at Marston Alley. This is a 1 block alley section south of Lawrence Street between Spruce Street and Summit Street,” he said. Brown said the pavement condition rating is 45 on a 0–100 scale and that the alley lacks underground utilities that typically require early-stage utility work on reconstruction projects.

Brown described the proposed work as a full reconstruction of the alley to the existing width (about 19 feet of pavement in a 20-foot right of way), using concrete pavement and an inverted crown so runoff flows down the center. He said the first layer of asphalt was placed in 1959 and that records do not show the date of a later overlay. The estimated construction cost for the one-block project is about $85,000; 14 properties border the alley. Brown said, “I received no questionnaires and no emails, no phone calls, no feedback at all.”

The committee chair declared the public hearing closed and said the design will appear as an action item at the committee’s next meeting in two weeks for final consideration.