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Politics & Government

Broad Street Project Widens Possibilities

Emmaus officials say bid opening Friday will advance plan that offers functional and aesthetic upgrades.

If things go as expected on Friday, Emmaus will be closing in on making history and preserving it.

A scheduled 10 a.m. bid opening in council chambers should bring focus to the reconstruction of the roadway and streetscape in the 500 block of Broad Street -- an idea that has been in the planning for a dozen years, according to Borough Manager Craig Neely.

"As long as the bids come in under budget, then we expect the project will be a go," he said.

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And if it is? Construction could begin by April 1 and be completed by mid-July, he said.

The plan calls for utility replacement, road base rebuilding, street resurfacing, median construction, street lighting, and curbing and sidewalk replacement as necessary.

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"It's long overdue and, when it's finished, it will just finish off that part of the borough, and I think all residents will appreciate it," said Brent Labenberg, Public Works Committee chairman.

Construction also would include the removal of trolley tracks, which were entombed in Broad Street during a resurfacing project years ago. The tracks would be removed, cut into sections and retained by the borough. Some tracks would be offered to historical organizations, Neely said.

While resurfacing and lots of patching have taken place over the years, this project -- budgeted at $450,000 -- would be the first major reconstruction in "ages." Neely says no one can really remember, but it has been decades. "This is a total reconstruction, not an overlay.

"I believe that it will be a substantial, functional improvement," Neely said, but he pointed to the aesthetics as well, including median islands and Victorian-style street lamps.

Work is expected to begin within the next few weeks. Paint already marks the streets for UGI to replace meters and natural gas laterals in the block and the borough to replace the water main.

As planning progressed, property owners in the block received written notices to attend meetings in July and October, Neely said. He termed attendance at both "sparse."

Besides notice that work would be done to the street, property owners were told the borough would assess if their sidewalks or curbing needed replacement. Labenberg said the borough assesses the condition and specifications for both whenever major work is done on a street. Those in compliance do not need to make changes, but property owners are responsible if their sidewalks or curbing are deemed to be in disrepair.

"People at the meeting appeared to understand that it was their obligation [to upgrade sidewalks] and did not vocalize any complaints," he said. Instead, most of the comments during the meetings dealt with the medians, slope, water damage and plowing. Medians will not have grass to minimize maintenance.

Neely did not know what the average property owner in the block can expect to pay to replace curbing or sidewalks.

No grant money is available to affected property owners. And, while the borough sympathizes that there may be some hardships, the standard procedure will be followed, he said. An owner may use their own contractor as long as specifications are followed. Or, the borough can have the work done and bill the property owner. A lien would be placed on the property if the owner cannot afford to pay.

The plan also would bring parking changes to the block. Some years ago, the borough switched the north side from parallel to angle parking to add some spaces. That worked but brought mixed reaction, based on safety and convenience, he said.

Neely concedes the new parking scheme will lose a few spaces, but he believes the other advantages outweigh the loss. The plan would add median islands, necessitating the return of parallel parking both southbound and northbound, Neely said. Besides aesthetics, the islands should tend to "calm" traffic, he said, adding it's a neighborhood concern.

"The only thing that we think slows traffic down is the deplorable condition of the roadway," he said.

Trees and lampposts will be included in the medians, which will be 45 long. Neely said the resident meetings indicated a desire for breaks for emergency vehicles.

Besides a fresher look the lampposts will provide, Neely said they will address some complaints that the block is too dark. Only two streetlights exist now.

Although bids will be opened Friday, borough officials must check submissions to be sure they meet requested specifications. Council is likely to award the bid at its March 7 meeting, Neely said.

The reconstruction of the 500 block would complete a major upgrade to much of Broad Street. The section between 7th and 10th streets was done in 2001 or 2002, Neely said. And, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation upgraded the 400 block section several years ago as well.

Progress on the project has Labenberg excited.

"Some would say the south side has been neglected for some time," he said. "This is a way to beautify that area."

As for the track removal, the project will offer historians artifacts of days gone by.

The tracks were part of the Lehigh Valley Transit Co.'s Emmaus-Macungie line that at one time ran from Mountainville, through the Strayer Section in eastern Emmaus, out Broad Street and on to Macungie. The Emmaus line was completed in 1898, according to local historian Ron Ruddell.

Eventually, trolleys gave way to buses, and the last trolley ran in Emmaus in October 1931, Ruddell said.

"We just know they are down there and want to save them," Labenberg said. "We believe there will be some interest in preserving the history there."

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