Progress made on two Burlington, Iowa, projects
Written by jrood
The city of Burlington, Iowa, has a lot of irons in the fire, according to The Hawkeye. With that in mind, City Manager Doug Worden updated city council members on the status of two projects nearing completion during a recent meeting. Construction of a 1 million gallon underground wastewater equalization tank on Gunnison Avenue and a similar tank near the BNSF tracks on Lucas Avenue is complete.
Work on safety upgrades
and modifications at 10 downtown grade crossings is set to begin in September,
according to officials. Earlier this month, the council agreed to pay M.J. Daly
Construction of Burlington $307,498 to complete the work.
The city’s quiet-zone
plan includes installing 100-foot medians on both sides of the Main Street
grade crossing, with a channelization island on Market Street. Safety upgrades
at the Jefferson/Hawkeye streets crossing includes a 100-foot and two 60-foot
medians. At Lucas Avenue, it will be a 100-foot median, with crossings at
Third, Seventh and Eighth streets are slated to be closed
Medians will be installed
at crossings at Fourth and Fifth streets, and two 60-foot medians are needed at
the Valley Street crossing. In addition, the east vehicle gate on South Street
near the sewage treatment plant will be relocated.
Construction is
anticipated to be completed by late November, according to Public Works
Director Ron Knoke, weather permitting.
After the work is
finished, the Federal Railroad Administration will review the modifications.
Knoke said he is confident the FRA will grant the city quiet zone status based
on a reduced safety threshold. Once established, locomotive horns will not have
to be routinely sounded.
Money from the downtown tax
increment financing district, sales tax revenue and general obligation bonds
will be used to pay for the project.
