The Bloomington Board of Public Works approved a contract for tree clearing along 17 th Street Tuesday. The trees are being removed to make way for a new multiuse path on the north side of the road.
The $22,500 contract allows Monroe, LLC to temporarily close the road between Grant and Monroe streets. Per the agreement the company must have “substantially completed” tree removal by April 1.
“The contractor may have to stop traffic in both directions for 15 minutes when a tree is being brought down,” City of Bloomington senior project manager Russell White said.
The contract with Monroe, LLC is just one step in the 17th Street multiuse path project, which will ultimately stretch from Grant to Monroe streets. This project aims to fill the existing gap between IU's Memorial Stadium and the roundabout near Tri-North Middle School.
“This is the gap along 17 th Street,” senior project engineer Neil Kopper said during the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission meeting Dec. 20. “To the east of the project there is a multiuse path on the north side all the way over to [Eagleson] Avenue, and on the west, it goes beyond the roundabout, out to Vernal Pike, and well into the county.”
During the December meeting, the redevelopment commission approved $650,000 for right of way acquisitions of sidewalks along 17 th Street. At the same time, the commission approved $400,000 in right of way acquisitions for a B-Line Trail extension that will ultimately connect the Adams Street trailhead to an existing multiuse path on 17 th Street. The city has already begun acquiring land for both projects.
The new 17 th Street path includes accessibility improvements to sidewalk curb ramps and traffic signals at the intersection of Madison Street and Kinser Pike.
Including project design, right of way acquisitions, and construction, the 17 th Street multiuse path is expected to cost $4,446,745. The B-Line trail extension is expected to cost $3,318,699. Both projects are funded by TIF revenues and Federal Highway Administration grants.
Construction on the 17 th Street corridor is expected to begin in mid to late 2022 and last into 2023. Construction on the B-Line extension is scheduled to begin in 2023.
