(BLOOMINGTON) – As May begins, City of Bloomington staff is realizing valuable efficiencies in teaming up to deliver upkeep and maintenance services as part of the Brighten B-town initiative.
Since April 1, crews from across City departments — Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and Utilities — have been working together in the first of ten geographical zones slated for coverage. Working within Zone 1 (an area bounded by Indiana Avenue and Rogers Street, and Second and Tenth Streets), City staff have made the following improvements thus far:
- 94 fire hydrants have been painted, and all hydrants are being flushed.
- 7,483 pounds of debris have been removed from streets.
- 92 truckloads of mulch have been spread.
- 537 stormwater inlets have been cleaned.
- 4,666 linear feet of curb has been painted. During this week’s inclement weather, the remaining curbs are being cleaned and prepped for painting.
- 12 trees have been planted.
With improvements nearly complete in Zone 1, crews will soon move west to Zone 2 (bounded by Rogers and Adams Streets, and Second and Eleventh Streets), where they will continue to work block by block to deliver services in tandem. Brighten B-town progress is being charted at https://data.bloomington.in.gov/dataset/brighten-b-town-status
The Department of Public Works is reviewing and reconsidering the scope of the Kirkwood Maintenance Project in light of cost concerns. The staff has rejected an initial bid that exceeded engineers’ estimates by 50 percent. The project will replace aging crosswalks and make pavement improvements from Walnut Street to Indiana Avenue on Kirkwood Avenue.
Public Works’ Streets Division will begin its season of paving on Dunn Street between North Old State Road 37 to the State Road 45/46 Bypass during the week of May 6. The department updates the paving schedule at this map: https://bloomington.in.gov/interactive/maps/pavingschedule
The City’s Planning & Transportation Department’s engineering projects continue as follows:
The intersection of Clarizz Boulevard and Moores Pike Pedestrian Crosswalk Project is nearing completion. The completion of this project will significantly improve safety for pedestrians in this area.
The addition of 600 feet of sidewalk on the west side of South Walnut Street adjacent to the Public Safety Training Center (3230 South Walnut) will be completed this week.
Bloomington Transit has relocated the bus stop at Lismore Drive and West 17th Street to the roundabout at Arlington Road and West 17th Street during the 17th Street Reconstruction Project. More information about the project can be found at https://bloomington.in.gov/engineering/projects/17th
Construction of the missing gap in the existing multi-use path along the north side of 2nd/Bloomfield Road between Adams Street and Patterson Drive has begun with the removal of the center lane island. More information about the Second & Bloomfield Multimodal Safety Project is available at https://bloomington.in.gov/engineering/projects/bloomfield
