West Newsmagazine 4-11-18

16 I NEWS I
By JESSICA MESZAROS
April 11, 2018
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
Work slated for this summer will make
it easier for Des Peres residents to get outdoors
and walk on sidewalks that are less
likely to trip them up.
Recently, the city released updates about
an overhaul concerning many residential
streets and sidewalks, including repairs
and aesthetic improvements. According
to Director of Public Works Steve Meyer,
over 600 sidewalk slabs will be replaced
in the Dougherty Woods and Dougherty
Ridge subdivisions after numerous issues
regarding tripping and injuries from overgrown
tree roots lifting the slabs from the
rest of the pavement.
The process of repairing the city’s sidewalks
has been years in the making and is
a product of tree roots uplifting sidewalks
in high-traffic areas and creating potential
hazards. About $100,000 has been budgeted
by the city for repairs after taking
measures to document every trip hazard in
the city for 2018 and onward.
“We had our guys take inventory of all
of our sidewalks in our city,” Meyer said.
“They walked all the sidewalks and counted
the number of trip hazards and the number
of slabs that needed to be replaced. That
resulted in a backlog of between $300,000
to $400,000 of work. That’s where we
asked the board, during our budgeting process
last year, to increase the funding for
sidewalk replacements for a few years, so
we could get caught up. Of course, as those
trees kept growing, we kept having more
hazards.”
While the city usually repairs about 1,000
linear feet of sidewalk annually, about
3,000 linear feet is planned for 2018. The
city also has been utilizing a joint material
called TripStop for about three years to
hold sidewalk slabs together in high-stress
areas.
“We’re hoping that by focusing on that
for the next couple years, we can really
make a dent in that backlog and get things
under control,” Meyer said. “We’re fighting
all the time with sidewalks and trees
because you want both but they don’t get
along well.”
In addition to controlling damage from
roots, the city also is conducting a tree
inventory in 2018. The inventory will
be GIS-based [geographic information
system] and can be updated in real-time
via tablet or phone. A TRIM grant from
the Missouri Department of Conservation
will reimburse about 75 percent of the
expense.
“With GIS, now we can keep that updated
in the event that we trim the trees or we
cut them down, or we plant trees, we can
add that into the database and keep track
of how many trees we actually have out
there,” Meyer said.
The improvements don’t cease with trees
and sidewalks.
On March 12, the Des Peres Board of
Aldermen approved a contract for $392,475
with Kozeny Wagner to replace the Oak
Drive Bridge over Two-Mile Creek. A
federal Surface Transportation Program
Grant from the Missouri Department of
Transportation [MoDOT] will cover about
80 percent of the estimated bridge replacement
cost.
Work for the project is tentatively
scheduled around Memorial Day and will
include a projected three-month closure
road closure. Residents of the impacted
Gray Estates North will have access
through Crystal Lake Park.
A segment of Fairoyal Drive in Royal
Acres also will be replaced this summer,
with the project’s length spanning from
Eastroyal to Dunroyal. The street’s deck
will be replaced with eight inches of new
concrete. The project will be approached
in four phases to reduce the number of
homes without access during the work
period. Its start date also is scheduled for
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Des Peres set to overhaul local sidewalks, residential streets this summer
around Memorial Day.
According to Meyer, existing curb ramps
will be replaced at Dunroyal and Kenroyal
to make the areas ADA compliant.
Other updates will occur along Andre
Drive, Anduin Court, Christine Avenue,
Claychester Drive, Windridge Court and
Windridge Drive. Each street will have
its existing asphalt surface milled off, the
underlying concrete replaced as-needed
and an asphalt overlay installed. However,
the southern section of Christine will
simply receive an overlay. A contract with
Ford Asphalt as the lowest bidder went to
the board for approval on April 9.
The second phase of the 2016 Topping
Lane project will start up in 2018 to add
curbs to correct drainage issues before
installing the asphalt overlay. Bids for the
project are due April 20 with work to begin
by late summer.
While the city is working to make sure
residents aren’t deprived access to areas,
residents are prompted to watch for construction
signage and to drive through
areas carefully as projects arise. Letters
of notification will be sent to all adjacent
residents prior to the start of each project.
According to Meyers, up-to-date information
also can be found on the city’s
website, desperesmo.org.
Help Us ATTACK Cancer!
Saturday, April 21, 2018
at Lafayette High School 3pm-Midnight
For more information,
contact
relayforlifersdmo@gmail.com
Join Rockwood School District
and the Community to raise
funds for cancer research and
programs, celebrate survivors,
remember those no longer
with us and to have fun!
*Disclaimer- NO running required!
Sponsored in part by
Theme for 2018
What happens at Relay???
Games, food booths, crafts, items to buy, baskets
and auction items to bid on and lots of fun!