Monona reviews preliminary plans for North Page Street improvements
By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times
The city of Monona hopes to let bids yet this year for the proposed replacement of one block of North Page Street from Center Street to the railroad tracks. The council reviewed preliminary plans, specifications and cost estimates for the project at its Sept. 9 meeting.
According to engineer John Biederman, with Fehr Graham, the project will include replacing the street, which is a well-traveled route to the Monona Fire Department and EMS building, Murphy Helwig Library and several businesses. In addition to new surfacing, he noted that the slope of the street will also be changed to improve storm water drainage.
“We’re trying to keep the traveled portion as uniform as possible,” he told the council. “All water will drain from the east side to the west side.”
Parking spaces will be made more uniform, although one will be lost near the intersection with Center Street.
Biederman said the trickiest part will be maintaining the handicap space in front of the library and raising it to the level of current ADA requirements.
Along with the plans for the street and some utility work, the project will also tackle the area’s cobbled sidewalks. Heights vary, and in some places, one sidewalk sits atop another.
“That’s all going away,” Biederman assured. “There will be standard 6-inch curb.”
Biederman estimated the cost of the project will be $494,000. He anticipated releasing plans to potential contractors in November, then bidding it out in early December. The work will take approximately two months to complete.
