Will the Lemont streetscape project put more responsibility on homeowners? Officials address concerns
In the works for nearly a decade, the $1.6 million Lemont traffic calming and streetscape project aims to make the village safer and more accessible to residents and passersby, but some worry the finished product will put more responsibility on homeowners and business owners.
Keller Engineers presented the final design plan during an open house on Thursday night at the College Township building, where more than 30 residents were in attendance. The project spans three blocks of Pike Street — from Dale Street to Boalsburg Road and Elmwood Street — and includes the addition of parallel parking on both sides of the street, sidewalk and crosswalk enhancements and tree replacements. Construction is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2021.
“It’s going to be a little bit painful in the beginning, but I think the end result may be something that works for all of us,” Township Council Chairman Anthony Fragola said.
The proposed design serves as the baseline of the final plan, township Manager Adam Brumbaugh said, adding that minor modifications could be made to the design based on public comment. Over the years, College Township has heard concern from residents about pedestrian safety in the area, specifically the safety of kids who would walk to school at the former Lemont Elementary.
Michael Pratt, of Keller Engineers, said the design plan will enhance safety in the area by giving the roadway the appearance of being narrower. While drivers “won’t slow to a crawl,” Pratt said traffic speed will be lower based on the road design.
“It’s not to say that the street gets narrowed, but it’s perceptibly narrowed through definition of the street section by using and constructing concrete curbing along the sides of the street, improving sidewalks ... and converting to parallel parking along the streets,” Pratt said. “That narrows the section in how drivers perceive it.”
In order to implement the design, 950 feet of street will be need to be reconstructed, Pratt said. Existing pavement will need to be dug out in order to be recurbed. In addition, 1,700 feet of sidewalk will need to be altered, but Pratt said the renovation will fix parts of the pavement that are already crumbling.
Pratt said some private walkways leading from residents’ porches and steps to existing sidewalks will need to be replaced to tie in with the rest of the design, but the township will be responsible for replacing them. Some residents were concerned with sidewalk and lawn maintenance, saying that the proposed design alters the current landscape of their front yards.
Max Ditin, owner of Maxx Ramen Shop, at 812 Pike St., said he spent $30,000 to improve the restaurant’s parking lot, added a handicap parking space and spent $7,000 to add an ADA-compliant ramp to the business last year. With the proposed plan, all of that construction would be torn out, and access to the parking lot would be steeper.
“It’s looking like it’s not going to work,” Ditin said. “And I’m saying that from a very practical standpoint, and also from a standpoint that I spent a lot of money to make it work, and it works. There’s some issues there.”
Pratt said some properties were recently surveyed, and the proposed plan does not reflect more recent construction.
“That should not change,” Pratt said in response to Ditin’s concerns. “Or hopefully, it will change for the better.”
If residents have specific questions about how the plans will affect their property, Brumbaugh asked that they contact the township. Some community members asked if they would be responsible for shoveling their walk, but College Township already has an ordinance put in place that requires homeowners to remove snow within 24 hours of the last snowfall, and will work with residents to ensure all questions about maintenance are addressed before moving forward with the project.
Keller Engineers will need to replace 12 mature trees, some of which are dying or could be affected by construction, and replace them with smaller trees to complete some of the roadway restructuring, Pratt said. The project will also increase the number of legal parking spots along Pike Street from 23 to 31.
“Will all of these improvements automatically slow traffic down to a crawl? No,” Pratt said. “But they will reinforce drivers who are passing through a focal, busy location where people live, work and shop.”
A $1.14 million multimodal transportation grant from the state Department of Transportation will assist in funding the $1.6 million project. The remaining costs will be covered by the township, and Brumbaugh said residents will not see an increase in taxes as a result of the project.
In order to complete the work, Pratt said Keller estimates a five- to six-month process. A detour will be put in place, and Pratt said residents and business owners will be granted local access through the work zone through a one-way traffic pattern.
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 3:46 PM.
