AGENDA #5b
BUDGET WORKING PAPER
TO: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
FROM: Bill Terry, Interim Public Works Director
SUBJECT: Plan for Improving Appearance of Ephesus Drive/Fordham Boulevard Intersection
DATE: April 28, 2004
This working paper provides information about the possible costs and installation constraints associated with improvements to the appearance of the right-of-way landscaping near the Ephesus Drive/Fordham Boulevard intersection.
BACKGROUND
In 1997, the Council requested the staff to investigate possible landscaping improvement projects along the Town’s primary entranceway corridors. Attachment 1 is a list of forty specific locations the staff identified at that time as possible project sites. The list includes a brief description of the installation constraints associated with each of the suggested sites, along with a general comment on the relative difficulty of addressing the constraints and acquiring approval from affected property owners and/or the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) as necessary to proceed with each project.
The area near the Ephesus Drive/Fordham Boulevard intersection includes project sites number 7, 8, 9 and 10 on that list. Among these, project 8, which includes the median between Fordham Boulevard and the service road adjacent to Eastgate Shopping Center and project 9, which includes the center median of Fordham Boulevard, are particularly noteworthy because of their location adjacent to commercial buildings and on-grade parking and because they appear so unimproved when compared to the landscaping installed further west along Fordham Boulevard.
The constraints identified in 1997 for these two project sites included possible conflicts with utilities and the center drainage swale and most significantly the problem of getting a necessary NCDOT encroachment agreement for a planting project that does not meet their established guidelines. A copy of a page from NCDOT’s published guidelines is included as Attachment 2 and the typical cross-section in the lower right corner shows the requirements for plant placement when a drainage swale is present. Accordingly, it was determined that it would be necessary to install curb and gutter and fill in the swale sections in order to proceed with these landscaping projects.
DISCUSSION
Possible Project Description:
If curb and gutter are constructed in these areas, it is likely that significant landscaping could be accommodated. The cost of installing curb and gutter is substantial, however, and the resulting piped roadway drainage system does not provide the same level of stormwater quality control as the existing open grass-lined swales. Accordingly, we believe that curb and gutter could be limited to those sections around the Ephesus Drive/Fordham Boulevard intersection where the potential landscaping improvements would improve the appearance of the area the most.
Attachment 3 is a map of the area showing where curb and gutter currently exist, where curb and gutter could be proposed, and where the existing swale sections could be retained. As proposed, curb and gutter installation could provide an opportunity to landscape the center median in a manner consistent with improvements further west along Fordham Boulevard, and landscape the area between Fordham Boulevard and Eastgate Shopping Center where very limited landscaping currently can be accommodated to screen on grade parking and vehicle movement areas. Other areas, including those adjacent to the Holiday Inn and Rams Plaza, could be retained with swale sections. In these areas, where no service road exists, some landscaping is in place between the existing swale and the adjacent private properties.
If the proposed curb and gutter can be constructed, we believe that the installation of groups of small flowering trees in the center median and a combination of small flowering trees and low evergreen hedges in the median between Fordham Boulevard and Eastgate shopping center would significantly improve the appearance of this section of the Town’s entranceways. It is possible that some adjacent merchants may object to these plantings, because of the potential to reduce visibility of their businesses, but we believe that the improved appearance may outweigh these concerns.
Possible Project Costs:
Once the curb and gutter are in place and the areas to be planted are properly graded, the proposed plantings could be installed by Public Works Department crews for a materials cost of between $20,000 and $30,000. Funding for this could come from the Landscape Division supply account’s $10,000 tree planting allocation over a number of years or could come from a future allocation to the Town’s Entranceways Beautification Capital Improvements Project account.
The cost of installing curb and gutter and preparing the site for planting has not been determined. As proposed, approximately 5,000 linear feet of curbing would be needed, along with a system of new catch basins and connecting underground drainage pipes. Current cost estimates for installing curb and gutter on large projects generally range from $20 to $25 a linear foot. Although a detailed plan would need to be completed in order to estimate the costs of the necessary drainage and grading work, it appears likely that the construction costs could exceed $100,000 - $125,000. It is possible that NCDOT could consider a request to fund this project or may be willing to consider some matching level of funding, if some local source of funds can be found. At the current time, no local source of funds has been identified.
Next Steps:
If the Council wishes to proceed with planning for this project, the next step would be to contact representatives from NCDOT to determine if they are able to assist with the costs of construction. If NCDOT indicates a willingness to collaborate with the Town on these improvements, Town staff could then inventory existing utilities and easements and develop a detailed planting plan for review by affected utility providers and other interested parties.
RECOMMENDATION
We recommend that the Council direct Town staff to contact NCDOT to initiate discussion about the proposed project and report back to the Council with additional information as it becomes available.
ATTACHMENTS