Springdale Council Considering Cambridge Repairs

Erosion Eating Away At Street

SPRINGDALE -- The City Council is looking at repairing a road before they lose it.

At a council committee meeting Monday, council members discussed repairs to Cambridge Street, which is being eroded by heavy rain, according to Sam Goade, city director of public works.

At A Glance

Council Committee Action

Springdale’s City Council Committees met Monday and voted to send to the full council a recommendation to approve:

• Settlement of two condemnation cases on the 56th Street improvement and widening project for an additional $34,393

• A contract to remove asbestos from 100 E. Emma Ave. and 125 Mill St. for about $44,000 with the Downtown Springdale Alliance to reimburse the city

• The purchase of additional computer equipment for the district court for $9,100 with the money to come from the court’s technology fund.

Source: Staff Report

Cambridge runs from Princeton Avenue to Don Tyson Parkway between Johnson Road and U.S. 71B. The main area affected, however, is from Chapman Avenue to the Parkway, according to an email from Terry Carpenter to Goade. Carpenter is president of USI Consulting Engineers.

Carpenter's opinion is that every rainfall event of significant size will continue to erode the ditches on both sides of the street, stated the email. The erosion will continue to the point of undermining the existing roadway, the email stated.

"I didn't want you to be surprised if we lose part of the street from the center line to the west," Goade said. "If we get a 5-inch rain, we may lose part of the roadway."

Significant damage has already been done and some utilities are being exposed on the west side of the street, stated the email.

"Not sure if these are active utilities, but I know that there is a large force main and a water line on that side of the road," stated the email.

The banks where additional riprap have been installed are somewhat stabilized but the rest is getting worse, said Mike Overton, alderman.

"It's getting to the point where Cambridge should be at the top of the list in drainage projects," Goade said.

Goade recommended asking companies what should be done to stabilize the street.

Alan Pugh, city director of engineering, asked if the city should correct the drainage problems or look at what would be needed if the street is widened. The city's master street plan calls for Cambridge to be widened eventually.

"If we look at drainage only, we'll have to come back and tear out what we do now," Pugh said.

Both needs should be addressed now, Overton said.

Before repairing Cambridge, the council needs to know how much additional money would be needed to finish the street bond program, said Eric Ford, alderman. A bond sale brought in $42.7 million for streets but the latest estimate for the cost of the program projects is higher than the money available.

"We need to know how much money we might have to contribute to the bond program from CIP," Ford said.

The Capital Improvement Program fund would be the source for repairs to Cambridge. The fund receives money from a 1 percent sales tax approved by voters. The fund has about $10 million remaining, according to Wyman Morgan, city director of administration and financial services.

The council committees will look at the cost of repairing Cambridge at its June 2 meeting. The council will receive an update on estimated cost for the street bond projects at that meeting, said Pugh.

NW News on 05/20/2014

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