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City staff outlines plan and cost estimates for repairs to Parallel Parkway
Summary
City staff described planned repairs for Parallel Parkway, citing coordination with utility companies and budget constraints; staff estimated roughly $230,000 per mile for paving alone and about $750,000 for a full stretch including curbs and ADA ramps.
A city staff member outlined plans and cost estimates for repairing Parallel Parkway, a major arterial through the city, saying the corridor has deteriorated rapidly and needs prompt attention.
The staff member said Parallel Parkway "is one of our major thorough pairs through our city" and that it is classified as an arterial and by the Mid-America Regional Council as a major arterial, adding that heavy traffic contributes to pavement wear. "You see cars just flying by all the time," the staff member said, noting deterioration over the last five to six years and the need to "make some major improvements really quickly."
The staff member said two main factors slow such projects: coordination with outside utility partners and budgeting. On utilities, the staff member said the city must wait for water, gas and other underground utility companies to complete upgrades "before we do our stuff and put really a top on everything so they don't have to tear it up in a couple years and potentially cause degradation to the new service we put down." The staff also noted many utility projects are scheduled in upcoming years (the speaker referenced "2829").
On costs, the staff member provided unit examples: "A 1 foot one lane width is about $12 a foot. Doesn't seem like a lot, but when you start talking about a mile ... you're talking two lanes. It's $230,000 for a mile." The staff member added that the paving-only figure does not include curbs, gutters, ADA ramps and striping, and said the city had been estimating about $750,000 for a stretch that includes those features.
City staff urged residents to use available channels to report problems and help set repair priorities. "We take very good pride in reviewing the citizen surveys ... We use our 311 system regularly. ... download that and report problems that way because we do look at those things on a daily basis to help determine what we do next," the staff member said.
The briefing did not include a formal vote or a schedule committing the city to a specific construction start date. Staff described the project scope, coordination needs and rough budget estimates and encouraged residents to report issues through 311 and the myo app so staff can prioritize repairs.
