Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Public Works

TO:	Mike Wildgen
FROM:	Chuck Soules
Date:	June 23, 2005
RE:	Response to Price T. Banks Letter of June 21, 2005 Project 15-CP4-404(C) Kasold Drive, W. 22^nd Street to Bob Billings Parkway Street, Storm Sewer Improvements

Project History

August 23, 2004       Public meeting to discuss overall project.

October 6, 2004       City Commission received pre-design report at study session.

October 26, 2004      City Commission received report and directed staff to proceed with Option 5 which included four 11 ft. driving lanes, 8 ft. wide sidewalk and grassed median, 10% slope north of Augusta, and construction limits to W. 22^nd Street.

June 20, 2005          Public meeting to discuss plans and construction sequencing.

Staff Comments

Items of note in Mr. Banks letter of June 21, 2005 are presented in italics and followed by staff

comments:

• The roadway and recreation path will be constructed primarily on the west side of the street right-of-way, leaving the east side undisturbed. 

The road right-of-way is not symmetrical around the section line.  50’ of road right of way exists west of the section line, while only 35’ of road right of way exists east of the section line.  Based on that, the center of the typical section is 2’ west of the center of the road right-of-way. The west curb line is actually moving about a foot east of where it exists today.  While the east curb line is moving about 4.5 feet west, it is primarily for safety purposes, allowing residents living on the east side to have a little more room to see oncoming traffic before they pull out of their driveways.  Additionally, oncoming traffic will have a better opportunity to see traffic from the driveways, since it will be more visible.

The 8 ft. sidewalk is being constructed on the west side, and the waterline is being placed on the east side.  The City Commission discussed the importance of maintaining the landscaped berms on the east side as the only buffer from Kasold for the east side front yard properties.  Additionally, Westar has substantial electrical distribution/transmission lines on the east side which cannot be relocated without significant expense.  In the preliminary design report it was discovered that “the overhead transmission and distribution lines were in place prior to the road right-of-way being expanded.  Therefore, any costs required to rise, lower, or relocate those facilities will have to be borne by the City of Lawrence as part of this project” (page 5). 

• The City proposes to eliminate all green space on the west side of Kasold and to pave to the property lines. 

The limits of the new road are actually narrower than the existing roadway.  The only additional pavement is for the sidewalk.  Due to the difference in elevation from the street and the sidewalk to adjacent properties, a retaining wall will be needed.  The project intends on remaining within the right-of-way.

At the public meeting on June 20^th, we discussed a keystone type wall (beige in color), and constructing new privacy fences for the homes along a portion of the west side of Kasold.  Further research on materials for the retaining wall is being conducted. Attached are current pictures of the area. The slope is substantial and at best difficult to maintain. If the area is maintained, owners currently have to do the work from the street, which is not a safe situation.

• The letter discusses that the residents on the west side will be left with “stark, direct exposure to the noise light, and dust.”

The roadway will be lower than it exists today and most of the properties will be protected by a privacy fence. The back yards on the west side will actually be quieter because the road is being lowered to place it even further below the yard and home elevations.  The landowners will not be able to see the roadway or sidewalk, therefore providing them additional protection from the environment (noise, light, and dust).

• Plantings inside property lines will likely be ripped out to make way for utility relocations.

     A utility easement exists behind the right of way.  In discussions with the utility   companies, they have indicated a desire to bore facilities where possible.

• Street lights will be repositioned from the median to locations nearer the homes increasing the already obnoxious spillage of light into the rear rooms of the homes in the area. 

The street lights will be relocated to behind the curb and gutter and positioned (focused) outward to the street.  City codes do not allow for light to spill across the    property line, therefore Westar will develop a photometric plan that will meet City code for the new street lights.

• The current proposal eschews the use of natural materials as were used on Kasold near Peterson Road .

The natural materials referred to are along the east side of Fall Creek Farms on Kasold, south of Peterson Road.  Staff recommends a structurally sound and engineered wall in lieu of a stacked stone found at Fall Creek Farms.  This type of wall using natural materials needs more area than is available without acquiring property along the section of Kasold the City is re-constructing.  As previously mentioned, alternative materials are being researched.

• We were informed that the pavement was pushed to the west to preserve the natural buffers for the properties on the east side of Kasold.

The City Commission discussed the importance of the berm for the eastern properties that sit lower and front onto Kasold.  The waterline will be installed on the east side and Westar has significant facilities on the east side.

• The lack of a traffic plan to handle traffic during construction……

One of the purposes of the neighborhood meeting was to discuss construction sequencing, and this was identified on the flier sent to adjacent owners.  Two plans were presented:  a phased approach and a total closure approach.  Specific details were/are not available at this time pending further direction from the City Commission.  At the meeting, neighbors discussed placing barricades at St. Andrews south of Bob Billings Parkway, and at Quail Creek north of Augusta, to keep people from cutting through the neighborhood.  It was also suggested to provide a directional sign for some of the businesses.  This type of information is helpful as the decision makers ponder which option will best serve the project and the neighborhood.  After the option is selected, a detailed traffic plan will be developed in consultation with the project engineer.

• The recreation path east of Augusta will be built on an 11% grade.

The sidewalk and road will have a 10% grade for 150 ft, not an 11% grade.  Grade was a big issue and discussed at length with the Commission in October.  The AASHTO recommended grade of 8% would have increased costs substantially, required acquisition of right-of-way, and required a substantially higher wall on both sides of the street.  The speed for a bicycle presented in the letter was based on a comment from one of the meeting attendees, not research provided by the city or the consultant.  Similar grades do exist along Bob Billings Parkway, just west of Kasold Drive (10.96% grade)and west of El Dorado Drive (11.56% grade) and along sections of14^th Street (14% grade). 

The City has contacted KU Endowment Association.  At this time the area west of Yankee Tank Creek and east of Kasold Drive does not have a master plan.  This area has a 20-30 year build-out and, therefore, the Endowment Association does not want to provide any easement across the property without knowing where utilities, roads, buildings/facilities, or sidewalks may need to be located.

While it is not necessary to construct a sidewalk path along Kasold while reconstructing this arterial street (this option was presented in the Preliminary Design Report – Option 1),  placing a sidewalk path at this location will further City Commission goals related to pedestrian connectivity within the community.

As with any neighborhood abutting a major arterial, the quality of life will be temporarily affected during the completion of improvements to Kasold Drive.  During the construction of this project, we will work diligently with the engineer and contractor to minimize the negative impacts.  Once constructed, we believe the current design of the project will positively impact the quality of life for the neighbors along this section of the Kasold Drive corridor.

Respectfully submitted,

Charles F. Soules, P.E.

Director of Public Works

CFS/je