2 weeks Ago By JACKSON KIMBALL [email protected]
The Hamilton City Council amended a contract this week to pay WGM Group Inc. $228,885.80 for construction services on the Ravalli Street reconstruction project.
The money will go toward “utility coordination, construction staking, part time construction inspection, review of submittals, project administration, record drawings, and warranty inspections,” according to the memorandum. In addition, Hamilton City Council recently approved payment of $2.9 million to Williams Civil Construction at their meeting on Jan.
21 for the reconstruction of Ravalli Street. Construction will include the installation of "traffic calming" features like on-street bike lanes, median separators and a traffic circle. Reconstruction began on March 17 and is anticipated to be completed in the fall, according to Public Works Director Donny Ramer, who told council members at the March 18 meeting that “their hope is to be done before school starts.
” Construction on Ravalli Street began on March 17, and is anticipated to be completed in the fall, according to Hamilton Public Works Director Donny Ramer. Hamilton City Council has been discussing reconstructing Ravalli Street since 2009, according to city staff. With its direct connection to U.
S. Highway 93, the street’s aging infrastructure and high volume of traffic present various safety concerns to cyclists and pedestrians, including school children who use the route to commute to Daly Elementary School. Reconstruction on Ravalli Street is focused on improving safety and renovating the corridor's sidewalks, curbs, gutters, storm drains, bike lanes, signage and landscaping to reduce high speed accessibility.
A preliminary engineering report from 2014 states that, “Improvements to Ravalli Street were recommended in both the 2009 City of Hamilton Transportation Plan and the 2012 Non-Motorized Transportation Plan to address sidewalk connectivity, bicycle routes, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) deficiencies. In addition, the 2011 Community Transportation Safety Plan identified vulnerable users, user behavior, and problem locations as three areas of emphasis to improve safety in Hamilton.” Reconstruction efforts on Ravalli Street were suggested to Hamilton City Council as early as 2009.
With its direct connection to U.S. Highway 93, the street’s aging infrastructure and high volume of traffic present various safety concerns to cyclists and pedestrians, including school children who use the route to commute to Daly Elementary School.
The report highlighted various "traffic calming" solutions for safety risks on Ravalli Street. "The Recommended Alternative consists of reconstructing Ravalli Street with on-street bike lanes and parking between US Highway 93 and 4th Street, and a Bicycle Boulevard consisting of shared bicycle/travel lanes with parking pull-outs between 4th and 9th Streets," reads the report. "Traffic calming is an important element of the project to allow pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles to operate safely in the same environment.
This includes curvilinear alignment, curb bulb-outs, street trees, retaining the four-way stop at 4th Street, a median separator for the westbound bike lane at 4th Street, and a traffic circle at 7th Street. These elements work together to reduce speeds and the volume of through traffic, and increase pedestrian and bike visibility." At the council meeting on March 18, Ramer asked residents to “be patient” and use alternative routes, like Desmet Street and Madison Street while road closures are in place during construction.
“I’ve coordinated with, I think, everybody who’d be affected — emergency services, Rocky Mountain Labs, garbage, the schools — and I think we got a plan. We’ll see how it goes,” Ramer said. “Please be patient as you’re driving around.
East/west detours are on Desmet and Madison.” The new addition of nearly $230,000 brings the total Ravalli Street project cost to $418,538.50.
The new addition of nearly $230,000 for WGM brings the engineering group's total contract cost for the project to $418,538.50 “It’s gonna be a really amazing project when it’s done,” Ramer told the City Council. Ramer said that construction from First to Sixth streets would most likely be complete by June or July, while the entire project would be finished in the fall.
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