17th Street (Vernal Pike I-69 Overpass to Monroe/Arlington Roundabout) Reconstruction Project

Page last updated on July 25, 2022 at 9:13 am

Construction Update:

17th Street is now reopened. Contractors may be on site periodically to complete minor items.

This project has experience three primary construction delays:

Rock removal (significantly more than originally expected based on a geotechnical investigation and core samples).
Delayed utility relocations by utility companies.
During construction it was discovered that some of the retaining walls were not built according to the contract plans. This discovery led to a requirement for the contractor to complete significant additional work to ensure that the walls will hold up over time.

Modifications have been made to the Maintenance of Traffic Plan (Signage and Barricades) due to issues that have occurred during the first two weeks of the project. The intersection of 17th & Lindbergh is now closed to traffic. Our goal is to provide access to all residents and businesses during construction while maintaining a safe environment for those working on the project. We will continue monitoring the situation and will make further modifications if necessary.

This project will reconstruct West 17th Street between the Vernal Pike/17th Street Overpass and the roundabout at the 17th Street/Arlington Road/Monroe Street intersection.

Project Map

17th Street Aerial view

17th Street Reconstruction Map

Project Description

The opening of the new overpass has significantly impacted travel patterns on 17th Street. This project is anticipated to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle traffic on the corridor. Improvements include stormwater infrastructure, multiuse path on the north side of the street, sidewalk on the south side of the street, reconstructed roadway (one lane in each direction), conversion of Lindbergh Drive to a two-way street near 17th Street, and other work on 17th Street.

Details of the project and its scope were decided through a design process which included public outreach and stakeholder involvement.

AZTEC Engineering Group, Inc. is the engineering consultant for this project.

BLN is the construction inspection consultant for this project.

PUBLIC INPUT:

The first public meeting for this project was held on March 1st, 2017 and focused on gathering input about what the neighborhood, residents, and other stakeholders would like to see accomplished by the project.

The second public input meeting was held on Thursday, May 11th, 2017. At the second public meeting, staff discussed conceptual design options that were prepared based on input from the first meeting. This meeting began with a brief presentation and group discussion before transitioning to an open house format to allow participants to look closely at the concepts and speak one-on-one with staff. The display information presented at the second public meeting is available below.

Based on the public input and evaluations by the design consultant and City staff, Concept 2 was chosen because it provides more equitable impacts to properties on the north and south sides of the street as well as multiple operational and comfort benefits for the multiuse path. Concept 2 was further refined to reduce the width of the landscape buffer to further minimize property impacts. Those adjustments involve additional curvature of the multiuse path and the street in order to stay slightly farther away from the houses along 17th Street.

Second Public Meeting Materials:

Vertical Profile- proposed vertical alignment generally follows existing terrain except a short section west of Lindbergh Drive which will be adjusted to improve sight distance
West End Overhead- overhead view of the proposal west of Lindbergh Drive
East End Overhead, Concept 1- overhead view of Concept 1 east of Lindbergh Drive (17th Street shifts 6 feet south, putting the multiuse path on the south side of the utility poles and directly adjacent to the street), not chosen for final design
East End Overhead, Concept 2- overhead view of Concept 2 east of Lindbergh Drive (17th Street shifts 3 feet north, putting the multiuse path on the north side of the utility poles and separated from the street), chosen for final design
Speed Management Options 1- potential options to encourage speed limit compliance on 17th Street
Speed Management Options2- potential options to encourage speed limit compliance on 17th Street

The third public meeting was held on Monday, January 29th, 2018 and focused on design details including retaining wall options, railing types, and lighting. This meeting began with a brief project recap, presentation from staff, and group discussion before transitioning to an open house format that allowed participants to look closely at the meeting materials and speak one-on-one with staff. Input was collected until February 12th, 2018. An update will be provided after staff has fully reviewed.

Third Public Meeting Materials:

*Note - some files sizes are very large, you may need to download the file in order to view it*

Comment Form - submit comments regarding the retaining wall, railing types, lighting, neighborhood sign, etc.
Wall Color, Option 1 - Brown
Wall Color, Option 2 - Gray
Wall Color, Option 3 - Red
Wall Pattern Options (shown in Brown) - each wall pattern board shows the same 4 patterns options
Wall Pattern Options (shown in Gray) - each wall pattern board shows the same 4 patterns options
Wall Pattern Options (shown in Red)- each wall pattern board shows the same 4 patterns options
Railing Options- railing will be located on top of retaining walls
Lighting Fixture,Overhead Roadway LED - to be mounted on existing utility poles
Lighting Fixture, Acorn LED - pedestrian scale lighting mounted on a new 12' pole
Lighting Fixture, Traditional LED - pedestrian scale lighting mounted on a new 12' pole
17th Street Roll Plot - overhead view of proposed improvements and property information