Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront: Greenway Projects 2021

Burlington VT

04 August, 2021

7:46 AM

Description

Press release from the Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront: August 3, 2021 Background: Essentially there are three projects in two locations that will be happening this summer through December. Concurrently, at the Waterfront, there is the Rail realignment project managed with VTRANS and DPW combined with the Greenway realignment that is shifting the Path to west side of the new tracks. At the south end of the Greenway, BPRW will be starting Phase 3b of the Path Rehabilitation through Oakledge. Read on below for more details about the closures and project status. Oakledge Greenway Construction Update Rehabilitation and re-alignment of the Greenway through Oakledge Park is underway. Visiting Oakledge Park in recent days, a 'limit of disturbance' orange flagging tape along a significant part of the Greenway is difficult to miss! Construction crews are starting to mobilize in the northern parking lot, mounting detour signage and completing surveying. This week, the contractor will begin working on the Greenway between Austin Drive and Blanchard Beach on the southern portion of the project. To ease access to the key amenities within Oakledge, the project has been divided into three sections: Austin Drive to Upper Pavilion, Upper Pavilion to Lower Pavilion and Lower Pavilion to north of the culvert at Flynn Avenue (at Blanchard Beach). Work is beginning in the southernmost section first: from Austin Drive to the Upper Pavilion. Once this area is underway, a second crew may begin work on section 2: from the Upper Pavilion to Lower Pavilion. Work is anticipated to continue through the summer and the aim is to wrap the project up in December 2021. Please be mindful of construction signage, do not proceed through areas where the crews are working – find alternative, signed routes around to the Greenway to the north or through the park. We appreciate everyone's cooperation and patience as we work to rehabilitate and improve this section of the Greenway. Early Prep Work in April Contract document development is wrapping up as we prepare to bid the rehabilitation of the Greenway in Oakledge Park (Section 3B South) out in April. Earlier this month, our BPRW team prepared the site for the upcoming construction by selectively removed approximately 15 trees at Oakledge Park in preparation for the project. All of the larger trees, including five large green ash, were taken out in anticipation of eventual decimation by the Emerald ash borer. BPRW's policy, as a part of the City Arborists's EAB Response Plan, is to remove ash trees within and near project areas. Green ash are relatively short lived, weak-wooded species and these trees were beginning to show signs of decline. While preservation of healthy ash trees is possible by injecting them with insecticide every two years at a considerable cost, the decision was made to remove them because of their proximity to the lake and the playground. There were also about three medium sized maples that were dead or dying that were removed from the area of bike path construction. Approximately ten smaller trees were removed through the wooded sections of the path adjacent to the tennis courts and in the section between the upper parking lot and Austin Dr. These were deemed potential bat roosting trees that needed to be removed by the State required date of April 15 to avoid negative impacts on the nesting season for long-eared bats. BPRW is committed to replace these trees, or beyond, with a diverse planting of species native to the environment within the park. More information, will be posted here as plans get formulated. Also stay tuned for news of community members organizing events to coincide with Oakledge's 50th anniversary this year starting with focused efforts for Green Up Day. Background info The last significant piece of unimproved Greenway in the central and southern portions of Oakledge Park will soon receive a major overhaul. Beginning in mid-July at Austin Drive, and working north as the season progresses and the crowds retreat, this last section of the 8.3 mile multi-use path will be rehabilitated. Expect the usual standard cross-section of 11' of asphalt, 2' gravel (exposed aggregate concrete in high traffic/erosion prone areas) shoulders on both sides, improved bike facilities and connections to existing infrastructure found throughout the Greenway. Additionally, an inviting entrance, supported in part by a donation through the Burlington Parks Foundation, will be built at the Austin Drive entry to Oakledge along with a University of Vermont Medical Center sponsored fitness station near Flynn Avenue. Finally, an expansive oval of exposed aggregate concrete and pervious pavers will provide more circulation room for the previously crowded confluence of bikers, walkers, paddlers, swimmers, etc. that cross or access the path at the important juncture at Flynn Avenue. This oval culminates in a concrete ramp which will provide urgently needed universal access to Blanchard Beach. Hot, dry and windy conditions have been hard on the landscape plantings at the new Roundhouse Park and additional plantings to the south. The City is working with the contractor to make sure these important green areas are well established and meet specifications before the work can be considered complete. Some of the trees that are unacceptable will be removed and replaced when weather conditions moderate later this summer into fall. Crews have finished paving the eastern end of Harrison Avenue to make the transition from the on-street and off-street portions of the Greenway at this juncture smooth and safe. They will follow with traffic signage and pavement marking plus a convex mirror to provide better visibility to both path users and drivers in this juncture. Finally, last fall's work at the northern end of Oakledge Park has been accepted by the City and is looking beautiful. The wider path with shoulders, more extensive bench seating facing the lake, and a brand new arched culvert crossing of the unnamed stream near Flynn Avenue, complete with natural redrock headwall facing the lake and native riparian plantings installed by our Conservation Team with local volunteers, is a huge aesthetic and ecological improvement over previous conditions. A safer, straighter and wider ingress and egress to the bridge over Engelsby Brook helps make the connection between the park and the Lakeside neighborhood more inviting and has also allowed BPRW maintenance crews to keep this section plowed during the winter. This press release was produced by the Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront. The views expressed here are the author's own.