Spring is here, and raccoons and heavy machinery come out of hibernation. Monday, April 16 marked the official recommencement of construction work on the new bicycle-pedestrian Path by the Henshue company. Actually, work rarely came to a complete halt during the winter. Aaron Palmer often maintained his vigil in his little command center at the entrance from Odana, and work (finally?) began on the access ramps in the midst of snow and ice.

But now, the work begins in earnest. What should we expect? First, lots of smaller stuff: finishing storm sewers, re-doing curbs at street crossings, finishing walls at the accesses. Some special drainage work has been added to the project between the Sheldon green space and the underpass, and this will commence soon. The historic underpass ("cow pass") between Hillington Green and Fox Avenue will be rebuilt. It has two structures now: an original one of local sandstone, and one added sometime later of treated beams. The beams will be taken out leaving the sandstone supports, which will be bridged across with a concrete slab.

Meanwhile, the grading and laying of gravel will continue from Odana onward.

At Spooner, as part of a separate construction contract, the bridge over the Path will be completely reconstructed. Demolition of the old structure has already begun.

Sometime in May or June, paving will begin, working from the southwest terminus at the crossing with the Capital City Trail. When the paving is down, top soil will be laid along the shoulder and seeding will be done.

Much of the work on most of the Path should be done by about the first of July. An unknown is the schedule for the Spooner Bridge. We hope that it will be done by the end of July, or thereabouts.

As in the past, stay in touch with our postings at www.dmna.org. If you have particular questions or concerns don't hesitate to contact me. I prefer email (pbeckett@facstaff.wisc.edu) but if that doesn't work for you, call me (238 2580). Aaron Palmer, the supervising engineer for the project is easy to reach at his cell phone number (209 6447). Aaron's email is aaron.palmer@gasai.com.

We are creating a new inter-neighborhood "Friends of the Path" organization which, once the construction season is done, will supplant our DMNA path committee. We see the Friends organization as one that will help to support and beautify the Path, help ensure its safe and enjoyable use by a wide variety of user groups, and help to create a sense of community around the Path and its use. If you read this bulletin before April 25, please consider coming to the inaugural meeting of the "Friends": Wednesday, April 25, 7-9 p.m. at the Cherokee Heights Middle School (near the intersection of Cherokee and Midvale). The meeting will be in the cafeteria. If you see this too late to attend but are interested in joining, email me. We'd love to have you.

And keep your bikes tuned and ready, or your walking shoes handy. This thing really will be done before too long!

http://www.dmna.org/bikepath/bulletin11.shtml
Last Modified: 03-Feb-08 05:53 PM

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