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MSA presents 60–75% plans for Hively Street phase 2; council backs bike, pedestrian and maintenance design features
Summary
MSA presented 60–75% plans for Hively Street Phase 2, including sidewalk connectivity with the school, a planned detour route, a proposed enhanced flashing beacon pedestrian crossing, green bike‑lane markings and a new sanitary manhole for maintenance access; MSA said bidding is planned for December with a January opening.
James Waters, project manager with MSA, presented the 60–75% design for the Hively Street Improvement Phase 2 project and walked council through eight priority areas including school site coordination, detour routing, stormwater tie‑ins and pedestrian and bicycle treatments.
Waters said coordination with the school district’s design team would focus on storm sewer connections and slope to ensure consistent hydraulic grade across the shared area. He described the detour plan, which would close Hively from in front of City Hall/fire department to State Street during construction, and said the project will include required signs and temporary pedestrian/sidewalk closures. “Current plan is to let this thing out or advertise for bid in December for bid opening in January,” Waters said.
Design features the council discussed include a new sanitary manhole placed east of State Street to provide easier maintenance access and avoid a 20‑plus‑foot deep manhole at the base of the hill; green paint and bike symbols to clearly indicate a bike lane transition off the 10‑foot shared path onto the street; an at‑grade enhanced RFB (flashing beacon) pedestrian crossing at Court Street that can be push‑button activated; and low‑maintenance landscaping with a roughly 15‑foot center circle reserved for a future monument or decorative feature. Waters said some civil/spec pages are yet to be updated and that the team would coordinate final planting details with the school’s landscaping plans.
Council members asked practical questions about preventing motorists from using a parking lot as a through detour (staff said temporary speed humps could be placed and signage installed), and whether the farmers market’s location would be affected; staff said access can be maintained and that the established lease arrangement with the farmers market would remain largely unchanged in location (dollar terms of past lease were not the subject of that discussion). On the pedestrian beacon location council discussed sight lines and placement on either side of Court Street to maximize driver visibility.
What happens next: MSA and city staff will meet with the school’s design team to finalize stormwater connections and civil details; staff anticipates updating civil sheets and then advertising the project for bid per the stated schedule.
