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Consideration of construction of an off road multi-use path along 116th Street connecting Watertown Plank Road to Center Street
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Submitted by:
David Simpson
Department
Public Works
A. Issue
A request has been made by Alderpersons Brannin, Fuerst, and Morgan for consideration of construction of an off road multi-use path along 116th Street connecting Watertown Plank Road to Center Street.
B. Background/Options
The attached memorandum from Alderpersons Brannin, Fuerst, and Morgan includes details related to their request for potential construction of an off-road multiuse pathway along 116th Street connecting Watertown Plank Road to Center Street.
The proposed off-road facility is currently not contemplated in the City's Capital Improvement Program (CIP) so this project would need to be added through the development and approval process of the next five-year CIP. I believe that this project would provide a significant improvement in options for bicyclists and pedestrians to traverse this area of the City so inclusion of the project into the next five-year CIP should be considered.
Currently, it is intended that Watertown Plank Road will be reconstructed from 113th Street to 124th Street in 2025 and the project will include off-road bike and pedestrian facilities along Watertown Plank as well as 115th Street south to the Oak Leaf Trail (at Underwood Parkway). Also planned for 2025 is the opening of a new City park located at 116th and Gilbert which includes pathway construction along 116th Street adjacent to the park. Given that all of this work is planned for 2025 I believe that there would be a benefit to exploring expediting construction of a portion of this proposed 116th Street pathway.
The section of 116th Street from Watertown Plan Road to Walnut Road includes relatively flat terrain with fewer design challenges than the area north of Gilbert. Given the fact that Watertown Plank Road will be under construction in 2025 I think it woul...
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