Each year, the Public Works Department dedicates itself to improving the approximate 50 miles of streets and 80 miles of sidewalks in our community. Because of the millage passed by voters in 2015, and our work since then, we have been able to successfully maintain and improve City street surface conditions, enhancing our community’s infrastructure throughout 2019.
The department is proud to announce this year’s Paser ratings, the pavement condition rating system, is above projected ratings. After this year’s construction projects, 64% of City streets have fair - excellent ratings. Compared to the projected 43%, as well as the estimated 15% without the mileage, the 2019 ratings demonstrate how your tax dollars have been critical to the success of our street and sidewalk improvements.
The department is currently reviewing asset ratings across utility infrastructure in conjunction with funding levels to lock in projected street projects for spring 2020 in order to reach the 2025 goal of 70% good/fair - excellent ratings.
In 2019, East Grand Rapids construction completed:
Street Construction:
- Mill and overlay: 1.961 miles
- Cape seal: 2.942 miles
- Micro surfacing: 3.489 miles
- Total: 8.392 miles
- Investment total: $1,785,246
Water Main Projects:
- Rehabilitation of ~1 mile completed in 2019 (out of 53 miles of the system)
- 1.8% moving from 5 to 1 (Asset Management Scale per AWWA)
- Investment total: ~$912,000
Sanitary Sewer Projects:
- Rehabilitation of ~.67 mile to be completed in FY 19/20 (out of 42 miles of the system)
- 1.7% moving from 5 to 1 (Asset Management Scale per PACP-NASSCO)
- Investment total: ~$99,000
Water main rehabilitations used a cured-in-place-pipe process, which puts a resin sleeve in an old pipe to create a new, stronger pipe. CIPP is a less invasive way of rehabilitating older water mains because it only requires a couple of access pits, rather than having to dig up and replace the entire water main, which can shut a road down for months. Through these access pits, the City's contractor is able to run the new CIPP in and through the older water main, extending the life of the water main line.
Specific locations and descriptions for all projects can be found at eastgr.org/construction.
EGR also built its first roundabout last summer which is located on Alexander at Cambridge and Rosewood. Improvements were made to improve the geometry of the five-leg intersection, traffic calming and pavement surface at the same time.
To round out the season, one of the City’s last projects included Joint Facilities work in Manhattan Park. Through Public Works and Parks & Recreation’s collaboration, as well as assistance from Halverson Engineering, the City was able to fix drainage issues beneath the girls varsity softball field that will prevent it from flooding and keep our Pioneers on the field this upcoming season. Through this Joint Facilities project, the City was able to complete work it would have otherwise needed to contract out for and saved thousands of dollars.
As we look ahead to 2020, the City has recently released a request for proposal for our Mobility-Bike Action Plan, which will engage our community to make improvements related to biking routes and facilities throughout the City. Please stay tuned for more information on this project.
“I am thankful for another successful year as we wrap up our projects and look forward to continuing to improve City streets and sidewalks when the snow melts,” said Interim City Manager Doug LaFave.
To stay informed on construction projects, including weekly updates, please visit eastgr.org/construction, follow the City on Facebook and sign up for our newsletter, the East Express.