Green River council approves preferred concept for Broadway redesign

Green River — The city council approved a concept design for Broadway on a voice vote after a presentation from Ensign Engineering, authorizing staff to advance the project to detailed engineering and grant-seeking phases.

Curtis Nelson, project manager with Ensign Engineering, told the council the preferred plan — “Concept 2” in the firm’s materials — emphasizes wider sidewalks (10 feet), 6-foot planter/furniture strips, mid-block bump-outs, angled parking and ADA-compliant crossings. Nelson said the concept produces 89 parking spaces against a 90-space target and recommended phasing to manage costs: “We’d phase it through your drainage first and your road improvement and then you move outward,” he said.

Nelson flagged the project’s biggest technical constraint: the 350-foot corridor drops only about 2 feet (≈0.3 percent), short of typical drainage design slopes. He described options including crown paving, “ridges and valleys” profiles and on-site collection using perforated cisterns to store and slowly release stormwater for vegetation: “We can capture water and it’s just slow release and it doesn’t cause any issues and undermining,” Nelson said.

Council members asked for clarifications about parking loss from bulb-outs, intersection turning radii for large trucks and the potential for a roundabout at the south end. Nelson said final striping, curb radii and truck-turning studies will be completed during the 70%–90% design phases and that the firm will help the city pursue state and federal grants to pay for construction.

A council member moved to approve the concept as presented so Ensign Engineering could proceed to the next design milestones; another member seconded. The council approved the motion by voice vote. The approval authorizes the city to pursue final engineering, cost estimates and a phased construction plan but does not obligate the city to a final alignment that affects private property.

Next steps identified during the meeting include completion of 70% then 90% design documents, more detailed drainage and utility engineering, refinement of parking counts and a phasing plan tied to available grant funding. The council did not adopt construction funding at the meeting; Nelson said the firm will assist with grant-writing and that available state and federal funds could cover a substantial portion of costs.

The council’s approval allows staff and the consultant to move forward with design work and to return with detailed drawings and cost estimates before the city commits to construction contracts.