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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1983-08-22 83-297 ORDER83-29] Introduced by Councilor case, August 22, 1983 BY MUEST CITY OF BANGOR (TITLEJ (PriBrr--Roqueetine MOT to Hold a. Publin Rearing, Possible... Reconstruction of Valley Avenue Between Fourteenth Street and Eeaduskeag Avenue By Aw Guy Cement of the City ofBongor: ORDERED; THAT WREREAS, the City Council has previously agreed informally to abandon the reconstruction of Valley Avenue between Fourteenth Street and Eeaduskeag Avenue, and WHEREAS$ additional information regarding the structural condition Bad safety hazards of said Valley Avenue has since been provided in a report from the City Engineer dated August 12, 1983, a copy of which is attached hereto, said information being of significant magnitude to warrant consideration of the previous decision to discontinue the project, RCW9 TEEREFORE, Be It ORDERED, THAT the City Engineer be and hereby is authorized to request the Maine Department of Transportation to hold another Public Hearing', relative to the possible reconstruction of Valley Avenue, and be 3t further ORDERED, THAT the City Engineer send written notice of said Public Hearing to the owners of all property abutting the proposed project ares. 83-29] VU 0R DER IN CITY CWMIL •%I /,j rl. August 22, 1903 Title, Consider first on Nea.Bueinaaa - - .. - Cl before 03-209. ..Re44RRSim;W4'k.C41w14 a.R441i4 )�g.y'ing t/Tl• Notion for abjection of consideration pas Votes. by the Councilors voting g V and w " ible' Reconstruction of Valley Avenue votes. CwWavid, voting Yee: .... a ea F...,aANt ..xaet and Ke oiva Brown, Cm:, Davis, Frankel, Gass, Between FwvYeentb Street aM ReMuekea9 Avenue ' Sor Soucy, W x' uth and Willey. tr d ced fby c CLERK .Co 83-29] CITY OF BANGCR, MAINE Engineering Department August 12, 1983 To the Municipal Officers:. This report is written to summarize the staff's recommen- dation that Valley Avenue be reconstructed between Fourteenth Et. Extension and Nenduakeag Avenue, basically in accordance with the --. Plans presented by the Maine Department of Transportation at the public hearing held on Mp 31, 1983 at 7.00 Y.M. in the City Council - Chambers. Apparently as a result of neighborhood opposition to the construction, the City Council informally voted not to continue with the project after the regular City Council meeting on June 13. The staff feels that there are serious safety considerations involved, which could only be addressed by reconstruction of the road. I. Risme. The present roadway, measuring approximately one mile in length, consists of a 20 foot wide travel way, with no shoulders, and open ditches on each side. Records indicate that the gravel road base is approximately only three inches in depth, and the surface is tar. Serious structural problems have been encountered in the area north of Bruce Head, and a temporary bituminous concrete overlay was applied two years ago as a stopgap measure until reconstruction could be undertaken. The roadway was recommended to the City Council for reconstruc- tion as far back as 1976s and was again included in the 1979 Five Year Plan. In 1979, the City Council approved a Highway Classification Plan Prepared by the Maine Department of Transportation) which classified Valley Avenue as a Federal Aid Urban Route Ao- 1530)s making it eligible for 70% Federal and 15% State funding for recon- struction. By letter dated July is 1980, at the direction of the City Council, the Maine Department of Transportation was requested to include the reconstruction of Valley Avenue in the biennial plan for Federal Aid projects. A story relating to this request was contained In the Bangor Daily News edition of July 9, 1980. MDOT responded to our request, and on January 5, 1982 wrote to the abutting property owners advising them of the proposed reconstruction and pending survey work. On February S. 1982, the City Council entered into a Memo- randum of Understanding with MOT relative to the proposed recon- struction, and formally requested that $100s000, of existing State Aid money be used toward the City's share of the project. -1- By letter dated September 21, 1982 from the City Engineer to MOT, a request was made to consider a connection of the northerly and of Eenduskeag Avenue to the end of Human Avenue, as an alternative. II. Existing Street Characteristics. As mentioned previously, the existing street is a two-lane roadway, having a total travel way width of 20 feet, with no shoulders, and open ditches on each side. This width is barely sufficient for two approaching cars to pass, and the lack of - shoulders would requare that a stopped vehicle block one of the travel lanes, reducing the road to one lens for moving vehicles. ,. 'There are a fair number of pedestrians, -cyclists, and joggers who use the road, and they are required to walk within one of the travel lanes. This would require that a vehicle using the same lane cross over into the approaching lane in order to pass. The horizontal alignment is fairly good, meaning that there are no sharp curves. The vertical alignment is also good, with the exception of a very sharp, blind hill at the intersection of Bruce Road. The present sight distance from a vehicle to a point 6 inches above the ground is 75 feet in the Brace Road area, mending that a car would be within 75 feet at an object in the road before it could be seen. The car -to -car si�pt distance at. that location is 175 feet. Engineering data indicates that a vehicle 'travelling at a speed of 30 miles per hour on dry pavement requires 200 feet to stop rn response to sighting an interfering object. Consequently, the present site distance at Bruce Road is grossly inadequate. III. Accidents. The Police Department records indicate a total of 15 accidents between January of 1980 and Aprilof1983• Eight of these occurred at the intersection of Valley Avenue and the Fourteenth St. Exteasion, and three were at the intersection of Eenduskeag Avenue and Valley Avenue. The remaining four accidents occurred at the Overpass, Bruce Road, 493 Valley Avenue, and on the Maxfield Bridge. IV. Proposed New Construction. The new road would be a two-lane road, having a travel way width of 22 feet. In addition, six foot wide paved shoulders would be provided an each side, to be used by stopped vehicles and pedestrians. The horizontal alignment would be very close to the present roadway centerline, and the car -to -car sight distance at Bruce Road would be extended to 350 feet, and the car -to -ground sight distance would be extended to 175 feet, assuming that Bruce Road were dead -ended above the project area. -2- V. Cost. The total estimated project coat is approximately $750.000. Of this amount, the Federal Government would pay 70%, or approxi- mately $525,000., and the City's share would be approximately $150,000., with the balance to be paid by the State. Of the City's share, $100,000. of previously -reserved State Aid money is available, rem,,m ^g an additional appropriation by the City oY $50,000. The $100,000. of State Aid money was reserved specifically for this projeot, and cannot be applied to other Projects. - VI. Alternatives. The various alternatives to reconstruction are as follows: 1. Provide a ly4 inch overlay of the existing read at a cost of approximately $35,000., which would probably last approximately tea years. 2. Provide a 3/4 inch overlay at an estimated cost of $18,000. to $20,000., which would probably last about five to seven years. - VII. Recommendations. It is recommended that the road be reconstructed, at a total additional local appropriation of $50,000.. It is expected that the new road would last approximately twenty years without pave- ment maintenance. and then would nrobably last an additional compare favorably with the local cost of reconstruction over a twenty-year period; however, under those alternatives, we would still be maintaining aroad in a very substandard condition, both in width and vertical alignment, which could lead to serious accidents in the future. The danger would be further increased by overlaying the road as it presently exists, which would un- doubtedly result in increased traffic speeds. Respectfully submitted, � 77 I John T. Frawley, City gineer -3-