Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Public Works Department

TO:	Chuck Soules
FROM:	Mark Thiel
CC:	James Risner, David Woosley, David Cronin
DATE:	May 21, 2013
RE:	City Manager’s Report – Status Update Pavement Markings and Crosswalks.

Last year the Public Works Department began a more aggressive approach to maintaining pavement markings, to include crosswalks. This effort was supported by the City Commission with additional resources.

We purchased a truck mounted paint machine last year that allows us to place pavement markings much more efficiently with a higher quality product. We completed the first year of stripping in 2012. (See attached map)

With the 2013 operation budget the commission approved additional funds for a crosswalk project. We bid that project late last year with an anticipated spring 2013 start. That project was delayed this year due to the cold, wet spring. The materials specified for this project have a minimum temperature requirement that needs to be obtained in order to not affect the product warranty.

We are now in that weather window and the contractor has begun installing crosswalks in the downtown area. This project will consist of a pattern cold plastic material and paint. Where the streets do not have planned maintenance for several years we are installing the cold plastic material. On streets that have maintenance plans sooner we are using latex paint. An example of this would be the intersections downtown on Vermont Street. We are planning on performing a mill and overlay to Vermont St. after the completion of the Library improvements.. We received good bids and are currently evaluating other intersections and crosswalk to add to this project. (See attached project locations)

In addition to traditional making at other crosswalk locations, we are placing concrete brick stamped crosswalks at the round-a-bouts at 19^th & Barker and Monterey Way & Harvard. The choice to use stamped concrete was to avoid frequent intersection closures to redo the markings. These two round-a-bouts receive a lot of traffic and there is no way to install the pavement markings without closing the entire round-a-bout.

Also, each August we evaluate the crosswalks around each school and repaint as necessary. We will continue this practice again this August 2013.

Pavement stripping for long lines and skips is planned to begin with in-house crews the first week of June. Timing for this work was coordinated with school schedules as to have a minimal impact. We anticipate two to three weeks of painting to complete our 2013 plan. We will extend that plan if funds are available. (See attached map)