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Page last updated on May 12, 2022 at 5:41 pm

For more information, please contact

Andrew Krebbs, Communications Director, Office of the Mayor

andrew.krebbs@bloomington.in.gov or 812-349-3406

 

 

 

Lower Cascades Waterfall Boardwalk Opens; Rosehill Cemetery Resurfacing Project Begins; Bryan Park Gets New Accessible Curb Ramps; Construction Will Affect Grant Street Traffic

Bloomington, Ind. - Numerous infrastructure improvement projects are underway this season to advance community goals, including safety, sustainability, accessibility, equity, economic vitality, and quality of life in Bloomington. The City will provide regular public updates on a range of these improvements as they progress.

 

 

PARKS & RECREATION

 

Bryan Park

Paving continues this week on the Bryan Park Perimeter Trail. Two new boardwalks were built on the north side of Bryan Park to protect tree roots and improve drainage. Other improvements include new paved connections between the westernmost boardwalk and the Bryan Park fitness station and a new accessible paved connection to the North Picnic Shelter. This week crews are backfilling around the newly installed boardwalks to reduce the size of the dropoff. Work on the perimeter trail is ongoing. During the week of May 2-7, contactors finished the base asphalt work and began an asphalt overlay of the entire 0.8-mile trail. This week crews are laying the top coat of asphalt. When the asphalt work is complete, they will start installing concrete curb ramps for accessibility on the west and southeast sides of the park.  Learn more about the project at bloomington.in.gov/parks/parks/bryan-park/trails.

 

Griffy Lake Accessible Fishing Pier and Loop Trail

Griffy Lake boathouse closed May 2 for final resurfacing of Headley Road, which already reopened to one-way north flow traffic. The road will reopen to two-way traffic when the new guardrail is installed. The guardrail is being installed on the west side of Headley Road, from the curve on the road to the north, and all the way to the south side of the lake with an opening where the crosswalk comes from the Boardwalk. The Griffy Lake Loop Trail & Accessible Fishing Pier project will create a quarter mile multiuse path on the westside of Headley Road to connect the northern and southern trails around Griffy Lake, and will create an accessible fishing pier directly west of the existing Griffy Lake Nature Preserve parking lot. This will improve accessibility and pedestrian safety as visitors will be able to access the trails along the western portion of the lake by walking along a separated path, rather than along the road. Work is ongoing and a ribbon cutting to introduce the completed accessible fishing pier and Headley Road path is tentatively planned for July or August. Learn more about the project at bloomington.in.gov/node/3512.

 

Lower Cascades

The Cascades Phase 5 Trail and Streambank Stabilization project is nearing completion. Overall, the project is adding .25 miles of paved trail, 700+ feet of accessible boardwalk, 400+ feet of reconstructed streambank, and a new pedestrian bridge to Lower Cascades Park. The project improves trail connectivity, grants greater access to the creek and waterfall, improves the safety of the creek bank, and creates greater capacity for flood events, reducing the channelization of the creek.

 

Contractors are installing the last limestone blocks along the creek, site grading and seeding, and doing final cleanup. When the project is complete, the lawn area will remain closed for some time to allow new grass to become established. Twenty-three trees were removed to facilitate the streambank stabilization, and the mitigation plan called for planting 115 new trees to replace the ones removed. A majority of the 115 replacement trees have been planted along the creek and along Griffy Creek across Old State Road 37 and south of Ferguson Dog Park. Some replacement trees will not be planted until fall due to availability. New trail lights are scheduled for installation in the coming weeks. The accessible boardwalk to the waterfall opened for public use on May 11, 2022. 

Lower Cascades Boardwalk
Lower Cascades Boardwalk

 

Rose Hill Cemetery

The Board of Park Commissioners at their April 26, 2022 meeting approved a contract with E&B Paving in the amount of $136,335 to resurface a portion of the interior roadways of Rose Hill Cemetery, and to develop a scatter garden (designated place for scattering the ashes of those who have been cremated) on existing cemetery property.  Parks and Recreation urban forestry staff is at Rose Hill Cemetery this week, trimming tree branches in preparation for the paving work on the interior roads. Trimming the trees back will prevent damage to the trees and branches when the paver and other large equipment do their work. One spruce tree that was overhanging the road was removed. As part of the paving contract, contractor E&B Paving will remove concrete curbing and roadway from the area that has been identified for the planned scatter garden.

 

Switchyard Park

The Switchyard Park Playground is scheduled to be closed between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on one or more days between May 16-20 for herbicide spot treatment to control invasive Canada thistle in the landscape beds and turf around the playground. 

Baker Stone Work will be on site during the same time to make modifications to the limestone cubes within the playground; the contractor will round off the pointed corners of the cubes for safety. The dust created by this project requires that the playground be closed while the repairs are occurring. 


 

ENGINEERING

 

Grant Street

A private development construction project closed Grant Street between 3rd Street and 4th Street to northbound traffic (a southbound travel lane will be maintained) for utility work and construction staging. Businesses on 4th Street and Grant Street will remain open and the contractor is coordinating with the adjacent Hidden River Pathway Project. 

 

17th (Monroe to Grant) Multiuse Path

Construction is beginning on 17th Street between North Walnut Street and North Grant Street. During construction, which is expected to be completed by the end of August, the westbound lane of 17th Street will be closed to through traffic and a detour will be installed that uses Dunn Street to the Bypass to College Avenue. This phase is part of a larger project that improves 17th Street; improvements include constructing a multiuse path along the north side of the street, constructing accessible sidewalk curb ramps, resurfacing the street, and replacing the existing traffic signal at the intersection of 17th Street at Madison Street/Kinser Pike. The improvements are part of the City’s commitment to sustainability, accessibility, and quality of life for all residents. Learn more about the project at bloomington.in.gov/engineering/projects/17thpath.

 

UTILITIES

 

Hidden River Pathway Project

Grant Street north of 4th Street is expected to close as part of the Hidden River Pathway Project, which is a two-year reconstruction project of the downtown stormwater infrastructure that prevents flooding during rain events. The culverts that currently carry stormwater beneath Bloomington’s downtown are some of the oldest storm sewers in the city and over the course of the whole project, 1,829 feet of culverts will be reconstructed, protecting residential and commercial buildings in Bloomington’s vibrant downtown as well as increasing our climate resilience by improving our ability to manage and mitigate the effects of extreme precipitation. Learn more about the project at bloomington.in.gov/utilities/hidden-river.

Hidden River Pathway Project Construction
Hidden River Pathway Project Construction

 

 

PUBLIC WORKS

 

Street Paving

Street repaving scheduled for May includes East Daniel Street from South Forrester Street To East Brookstone Court and South Silver Creek from East Winston Street To East Silver Creek.  Crews will be milling and paving South Robins Bow, in the Hyde Park neighborhood,  from East Winston Street to South Forrester Street next week. 

Showers LED Light Conversion 

Duke Energy subcontractor Five Star Energy Services completed the first section of LED installation in the Showers employee lot. Crews will complete the installation of the CFC lot this week. Work will continue throughout the month with the removal and installation of LED lights along North Morton Street from West10th to West 8th streets. This energy efficient update supports the City’s Climate Action Plan. 

LED Light Conversion
LED light installation at Showers