Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Public Works

 

TO:

Mark Thiel, Assistant Public Works Director

 

FROM:

David P. Cronin, P.E., City Engineer

Steven M. Lashley, P.E., Project Engineer

Matt Bond, P.E., Storm water Engineer

James Risner, Traffic Supervisor

Nick Voss, Project Engineer

Zach Baker, Project Engineer

 

 

 

Date:

January 29, 2013

 

RE:

2013 Engineering Division Year End Report

 

 

 

 

The Engineering Division is responsible for the review and approval of all public improvement plans for streets, sidewalks, rights of way, driveways and storm sewers.  The division administers designs and inspects these projects.  The division evaluates pavement condition and contracts for major pavement restoration and replacement.  The Engineering Division solicits grants and other funding for major reconstruction or new construction projects. 

 

In addition to project management, Engineering includes work groups for Stormwater Engineering, Traffic Engineering, Bridge inspection, Levee inspection / monitoring, Surveying, sidewalks, driveways, right-of-way permits and supports services, including providing mapping and GIS functions for public information.  The Engineering Division is responsible for the VenturePark redevelopment project including remediation efforts of ground water and future development as industrial site.

 

Including Rock Chalk Park, VenturePark, Capital Improvement projects, maintenance projects and new street construction, the Engineering Division oversaw approximately $26.7M in construction work during 2013.

 

Engineering Division staff has also been involved in the planning and pre-construction meetings involving two large KDOT projects: South Lawrence Trafficway and K-10/Bob Billings Parkway interchange.

 

 

 

 

Iowa Reconstruction Project

 

Construction was completed on Iowa project in November on schedule.  Improvements included reconstruction of pavement with concrete, addition of center turn lane on Iowa, 6' sidewalk on west side of Iowa, intersection improvements at Bob Billings Parkway, and shared-use path on Bob Billings from Crestline to Engel Road.  The total construction cost was $4,776,000.

 

Iowa Project

 

 

Wakarusa Reconstruction - Research Parkway to Oread West

 

Wakarusa Drive Reconstruction started May 20th.  This project added bike lanes and a center left turn lane from Research Park Way to Oread West Drive.  The road was opened to traffic on September 19th and all work was completed by October 25th.  Engineering design plans were done in-house by city staff.  The total construction cost for the project was $1,118,000.

 

Wakarusa Drive

 

Pennsylvania Street Reconstruction

 

9th Street from Delaware to Pennsylvania, the intersections of 9th & Pennsylvania, 8th & Pennsylvania, and 9th and Delaware have all been reconstructed with 10" concrete.  Pennsylvania from 8th to 9th street was reconstructed as a brick street by using the existing brick on Pennsylvania and 9th Street.  In addition, storm sewer, angled parking, and pedestrian lighting has all been installed as part of this project.  The pavement marking for the angled parking and seeding will occur with temperatures rise to appropriate levels.  Engineering design plans were done in-house by city staff.  The total construction cost of the project was $668,000.

 

Pennsylvania Street

 

 

 

Bob Billings Parkway - Kasold to Iowa

 

The Bob Billings Parkway project included full reconstruction of the eastbound lanes between Kasold and Iowa Street and the westbound lanes from Crestline to Iowa. Turn lanes were constructed in the median at a several locations throughout the corridor. Several curb inlets and storm sewer crossroad pipes were replaced. A new city waterline was constructed in conjunction with the road construction and a 10 foot wide shared use path was constructed along the south side of the roadway.  Work began following the KU spring semester and was complete before the fall semester.  Engineering plans were done in-house by city staff.  The construction cost was $1,617,000.

 

Bob Billings Parkway

 

9th & Tennessee

 

The 9th and Tennessee project was a KDOT let project that included a mill and overlay of 9th Street between Tennessee and Kentucky Streets. A new traffic signal and controller was installed for the 9th & Tennessee intersection. New pavement markings were placed striping a new 5 lane section with a center left turn lane and bike lanes.  KDOT funded 90% of the project cost with the city contributing the remaining 10% plus contingencies. Engineering design plans were done in-house by city staff.  Construction was completed in September 2013 and the total project cost was $230,996.00.

 

 

Dillon's Traffic Calming Project

 

The Dillon's store on Massachusetts Street had allocated funds for traffic calming in the Barker Neighborhood. Two public meeting were held with the neighborhood and after reaching a consensus, plans were prepared in-house by the Engineering Division.  A project was bid with seven speed humps installed on 17th Terrace and 18th Street, between New Hampshire Street and Barker Street and on New Hampshire Street, between 17th Street and 19th Street.  Work was completed in August 2013.  The total cost for the project was $48,721. 

 

Speed Humps in Barker Neighborhood

 

6th & George Williams Way Improvements

 

The 6th and George Williams Way signal installation was completed in November 2013.  The project added a signal at the intersection and reconstructed the sidewalk leading to the intersection.  The total cost for this project was $261,000.

 

6th & George Williams Way

23rd & O'Connell Signal Improvements

 

Construction for 23rd Street & O'Connell improvements was completed in May and the signal is operational.  A concrete approach, including stamped colored brick concrete, to the north was completed and an eastbound left turn lane was installed.  This intersection is critical as the future entrance to the VenturePark property and serves the existing residential development to the south.  The total construction cost of the project was $571,500.

 

23rd & O'Connell

 

Rock Chalk Park Infrastructure

 

The Engineering Division is inspecting the infrastructure work at Rock Chalk Park.  In 2013 the site grading, waterlines, sanitary sewer and storm sewer was complete.  A majority of the concrete pavement for streets and parking lot was installed in 2013.

 

 

VenturePark Infrastructure

 

Construction of infrastructure at VenturePark began in 2013 including site grading, waterlines, sanitary sewer and street construction.  Approximately 450,000 CY of site grading dirt was moved to provide future pad ready sites for industry.  Berms were constructed along K-10 that will be landscaped in 2014.  The sanitary sewer is complete and most of the waterline and storm sewer installation was finished in 2013. 

 

Grading at VenturePark

 

Farmland (Lawrence Venture Park) - Remediation

During the calendar year 2013 several environmental remediation projects were completed on the former Farmland Plant site.  These included the construction of a new electrical distribution system to power the existing ground water recovery and ground water monitoring pumps.  The new system provides redundant and reliable electrical power to the pumps.  The electrical system that was replaced was unreliable and was at the end of its design life.  This new design also eliminated the use of electrical lines and poles originating on the south side of the site and ran north the length of the site to the pumps.

 

The old sanitary sewer infrastructure used by the plant when it was in operation was also decommissioned.  This involved the flushing of the old sanitary sewer lines and the plugging of man holes with concrete.  The Imhoff Tank, a component of the sanitary sewer system, was also decommissioned as directed by the Corrective Action Decision (CAD).

 

Additional activities included the installation of two new ground water monitoring wells, the erection of new security and safety fences around the above ground storage tanks and the application of 2.14 million gallons of nitrate impacted water through the land application program.

 

Engineering design work was also completed for the "Dam Pond", the Central Ponds/Interceptor Trench and the regional detention facility.  Each of these activities are addressed within the CAD and are to be completed as part of the environmental remediation.  Construction for each of these projects will be completed during the 2014 calendar year.

 

Kansas and Mud Creek River Levee System

 

Public Works is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the North Lawrence Levee Unit.  It contains approximately 14.6 miles of levee on the Kansas River and 0.6 miles of levee on Mud Creek.

 

In conjunction with City of Lawrence Public Works staff the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) conducted its annual routine inspection of the Kansas River Levee (Lawrence Unit) on August 26, 2013.  Based on the findings of the inspection the Lawrence Unit received a maintenance rating of MINIMALLY ACCEPTABLE. It should be noted that there are three possible ratings assigned for levee inspections:  UNACCEPTABLE, MINIMALLY ACCEPTABLE, ACCEPTABLE.  A recent survey of the National Levee Database revealed 215 levees within a 150 mile radius of Lawrence.  The ratings for those levees are listed in the table below:

 

UNACCEPTABLE

MINIMALLY ACCEPTABLE

ACCEPTABLE

NOT RATED

5

136

13

61

 

A maintenance rating of ACCEPTABLE or MINIMALLY ACCEPTABLE is required for eligibility in the Public Law 84-99 (P.L. 84-99) levee rehabilitation program.  Since the Lawrence Unit has received a MINIMALLY ACCEPTABLE rating, it is eligible for federal repair assistance if damaged by flooding and other program requirements are met. 

 

Deficiencies found during the routine inspections included deteriorating rock slope protection (riprap), levee embankment encroachments, unwanted vegetated growth, and unwanted erosion around discharge pipes.  Each of these deficiencies will be addressed prior to the next annual routine inspection. Although the levee is in good condition it is important to address the points of concern to remain eligible for federal funds in the event of a flood event and subsequent levee damage.

 

Additional maintenance items that were addressed in 2013 as a result of the 2012 periodic inspection included the following: the repair of area inlet grates, the removal of trees adjacent to the grade control structures on Mud Creek and the removal of trees on the river side of the levee in two specific areas.  These areas were located along the toe of the levee just downstream of the KTA Kansas River Bridge and Bowersock Dam.

 

 

Traffic Engineering Operations

 

The city has 83 signalized intersections maintained by the traffic division.  There are 4 signalized intersections maintained for KDOT, 9 High-intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) signals, 2 signalized crosswalks and one fire station signal for a total of 99 signals.  Two new signals were added and brought to operation in 2103 - 23rd & O'Connell and 6th & George Williams Way.  The signal equipment at 15th & Iowa was replaced with the Iowa Project.  Five signals poles were replaced from damaged in traffic crashes.

 

Two new HAWK signals were installed in 2013 to provide safer crossings for school students - 18th & Kentucky (Cordley Elementary) and 10th & Connecticut (New York Elementary)

 

Video detection system was added at 19th & Iowa and 17th & Mass bringing the total intersections with video detection to 50 out of 83; 6 additional battery back-up systems were installed in 2013 bringing the total to 65 out of the 83 intersections.  We have 16 intersections that have Flashing Yellow Arrows.

 

The traffic department is responsible for 24 hour vehicle and Intersection Peak Hour traffic counts.  For 2013 we conducted 204 - 24 hour counts and 74 - Intersection Peak Hour counts.

 

In 2013 the division repaired 1282 signs that were damaged, worn or stolen; upgraded 59 signs; inspected 907 signs; installed 255 new signs.

 

 

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) & City/Fiber project

 

In 2013, city staff applied for and received an ITS grant from KDOT's Set-Aside program to extend our ITS system on Clinton Parkway from Iowa west to Wakarusa, on Wakarusa from Clinton Parkway north to 6th Street, and on 6th Street from Wakarusa west to K-10. The project will be constructed in 2014 and include equipment and cameras to add 12 intersections into the Lawrence ITS system. 

 

The 2014 ITS project will use fiber that was installed in 2013 that was a cooperative effort between the city and KU to install an additional 10 miles to the network.  The city now has a total of approximately 20 miles of fiber.

 

 

Pavement Markings

 

The city completed long line pavement marking in-house totaling 323,292 feet (61 lane miles) of pavement markings.  All the school crosswalks were inspected and brought up to standards prior to school starting in the fall.  Crosswalks at 23 intersections were improved with a more permanent crosswalk tape through a contracted project, primarily for intersections in the downtown area.

 

2013 Contracted Maintenance Projects

 

2013 Microsurfacing Program – Work began in early April of 2013 and the asphalt patching and microsurfacing (surface sealing) project were completed in early August of 2013 including reestablishment of pavement markings.  This project included a number of City residential and collector streets.  Streets that received microsurfacing were determined to be in generally good condition.  These streets were included with the microsurfacing planned process as a preventative maintenance work activity to preserve the streets while also addressing some structural deficiencies to prolong pavement life cycle and effectively sustain the infrastructure assets.  City streets that are deteriorated beyond the recommended condition for microsurfacing will be typically included in the maintenance plan for milling and overlay.

 

2013 Concrete Rehabilitation Program – Work began in early May of 2013 and was completed in early September of 2013.  This concrete rehabilitation project included intermittent curb repair and replacement, some adjacent concrete sidewalk impacted by curb replacement including access ramps, and various concrete street pavement removal and replacement.  The street curb and gutter and concrete pavement sections worked on were in poor condition with extensive concrete deterioration.  Imprinted concrete crosswalks were installed at the intersections of 19th & Barker and Harvard & Monterey Way as part of this project.  Additional work on some of the street curb and sidewalk along High Dr and Emery Dr in coordination with a private site reconstruction was completed as part of this contract work.

 

2013 Overlay Program Phase 1 – Work began in late May of 2013 and was completed in late September of 2013.  This milling and overlay project included some curb and gutter removal and replacement on City streets as well as some concrete valley gutters and intersections.  These streets were generally in fair to poor condition and the maintenance work has improved drainage characteristics and structural capacity.  The pavement segment of Bob Billings Pkwy from Wakarusa Dr to Foxfire Dr was deferred to the 2014 program year for reconstruction but was profiled milled in the interim to address some of the severe pitch and roll in ridability.  The milling and overlay of Naismith Dr from University Dr to Crescent Rd was added to the project.

 

2013 KLINK – Mill & Overlay –  (Iowa Street – 29th Street to South City Limits)

This year's KLINK (KDOT city highway connecting link) project was the mill and overlay of south Iowa from 29th Street to the south city limits.  Curb and gutter was repaired where necessary and new sidewalk was installed to fill in some gaps on Iowa. The project cost was $432,000 and was completed in the summer.

 

KLINK mill and overlay on South Iowa

 

 

Work Type

Contracted Maintenance - 2013

Mill & Overlay

7.5  Lane-Miles

Microsurfacing/ Patching

9.7  Lane-Miles

Concrete Pavement & Rehab Patching

5,402  Square Yards

Curb & Gutter

12,966  Linear Feet

ADA Access Ramps

15  Ramps

 

 

Public Works staff completed the fourth quarter (last Phase) of street rating Cycle 3 in November 2013 and plan to continue street ratings this year with the goal of completing the first quarter of the cycle during this Summer/Fall period followed by an evaluation of the data collected.  This information will continue to assist Public Works by utilizing the street pavement rating data to produce projected maintenance plans for future street maintenance program years.  Having a projected maintenance plan will increase our effectiveness in programming street sections for upcoming maintenance years and will continue to be an ongoing project from one maintenance year to the next.  As displayed by the Pavement Management Program update presented to City Commission on January 21, 2014, we believe that the maintenance program is working and the continued support from City Commission has given us the ability to make progress.

 

To summarize, overall we are making significant progress towards improving roadways in Lawrence with the comprehensive street maintenance program (see Photo Presentation of some of the various project locations).  Internal street maintenance crews have also played a key role in making this maintenance year a success (see Public Works Street Division Year-End Report from Jan. 21, 2014 City Manager Report).  As reflected in the most recent citizen survey, the residents of Lawrence continue to place a high importance on street maintenance.

 

Design for 2014 Construction Projects

 

In 2013 the Engineering Division has been preparing and reviewing plans for several 2014 projects including:

 

Attachments: 

2013 As-Built Map