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Victoria council orders 80th Street reconstruction, drops water main and directs 28-foot width
Summary
After a public hearing, the City of Victoria ordered reconstruction of 80th Street but voted to exclude a proposed water main and directed staff to increase the road width to 28 feet; assessments and construction timing will be refined during design.
The Victoria City Council voted March 23 to order reconstruction of 80th Street, directing staff to prepare plans and specifications and to exclude a proposed water main from the current project scope. The council also directed staff to increase the design width from 24 feet to 28 feet to allow parking on both sides of the street.
Assistant City Engineer Amanda Meyer told the council the road has “extreme cracking” and has reached the end of its useful life; the feasibility study recommended full reconstruction with curb and gutter and storm sewer. Meyer said the estimated construction cost for a 24-foot cross-section is about $775,200, rising to roughly $804,000 for a 28-foot cross-section. She reported the optional water-main component was estimated at $212,000, which—under city policy—would be fully assessed to property owners (about $23,556 per affected unit if included).
Residents speaking during the public hearing urged caution on including the water main because of cost. “Installing a water main…would create a little bit more of a hardship financially for a lot of the people that live on the street,” said resident Jamie Steppen (755 80th Street), who emphasized the priority of fixing the roadway and the burden of a sizeable per-property assessment.
Council members discussed drainage approaches, the tradeoffs between curb-and-gutter versus a rural ditch section, and the visibility and safety benefits of a wider 28-foot roadway. Staff noted the conceptual design shows four catch basins along the short, roughly 700-foot corridor and that widening could require additional grading and tree/driveway impacts that would be addressed in design.
On motions taken at the meeting, Council Member Roberts moved—and Council Member Refe seconded—to exclude the water main from the scope; that motion carried. Council Member Patterson moved to adopt the resolution ordering the improvements and authorizing preparation of plans and specifications; that motion carried. Patterson then moved to direct staff to change the width from 24 feet to 28 feet; the council approved that direction.
Next steps: staff will return with plans and specifications (anticipated for June) and bid information (anticipated opening in July), with construction estimated for late summer into fall. The council noted assessments could be spread over 15 years at the bond rate plus 2% and that deferment options exist for qualifying property owners.
