Press Release: Plan Commission to Consider Fourth St. Garage Design July 8; Brighten B-town Advances

Bloomington, Ind. - Having been presented to the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission (RDC) in preliminary form June 17, the design for the new Fourth Street Garage will be brought to the City’s Plan Commission on July 8.  The public meeting will take place from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall (401 North Morton Street) and its agenda includes a public comment period.

Since early May, the City has been working with project architect CSO to bring all gathered feedback into the structure’s  preliminary design. The design presented to the RDC, the project’s funding entity, calls for a six-story facility with 504 parking spaces, approximately 10,000 square feet of retail space along the facility’s Walnut Street side, LED lighting, bike parking with lockers, and public restrooms. The preliminary design also includes electric vehicle charging stations, rooftop solar panels, natural lighting, and improved signage to assist with wayfinding. The facility will offer entrance/exit locations at both Third and Fourth Streets for optimal traffic flow.  Additionally, the garage will include more ADA parking spots than the existing structure, to be located near the elevators. Materials to be used include brick, prestressed concrete, and vertical metal slats. The facility will feature two glass-enclosed stair towers as a security and design feature.

The public art elements and landscape for the garage are still being determined, and not reflected in the preliminary design.  Additionally, the existing overhead glass walkway at Fourth Street will tie into the new garage. Demolition of the existing garage is expected to begin in late summer.  The facility remains closed until that time due to safety concerns cited in a structural analysis completed in fall 2018.

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Bloomington’s busy summer improvement season continues with multiple projects underway across the city.  Weather permitting, the Department of Public Works’ Street Division will be paving streets along the following schedule this week:

• Monday, June 24 - Wednesday, June 26:  West Clubhouse Drive from North Kinser Pike to North Old State Road 37

• Thursday, June 27:  East Treadwell Lane west of North Headley Road

As updated at https://bloomington.in.gov/inroads/events, lane restrictions and street closures will be in place at these locations.  The department updates the paving schedule at this map: https://bloomington.in.gov/interactive/maps/pavingschedule

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Having completed the painting of more than 18,108 linear feet of curb and the removal of 11,237 pounds of curbside debris, Brighten B-town moves today into Zone 2 (the area bounded by Rogers and Adams Streets, and 2nd and 11th Streets).  As part of the coordinated initiative, City of Bloomington Utilities (CBU) has also painted 190 fire hydrants and cleaned 1080 storm water inlets, and the City's Parks and Recreation Department has placed 102.5 truckloads of mulch.  Brighten B-town has integrated the efforts of staff from multiple City departments to deliver upkeep and maintenance services block by block. Brighten B-town progress may be charted at https://bloomington.data.socrata.com/Maps/Brighten-B-Town-Progress-Data/x34x-iyyi

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Engineering projects being overseen by the City’s Planning and Transportation department continue, entailing traffic restrictions as follows:  

North Jordan Avenue between 10th and 7th Streets continues to be closed to traffic to allow the City of Bloomington Utilities Department (CBU) to replace an existing 6” cast iron water main with a new 12” water main. Work is progressing despite the inclement weather and the road is scheduled to reopen on or before June 28. 

Curb ramp replacement at the intersection of East Third and South Washington Streets begins today (Monday, June 24).  

Sidewalks are being installed in the 900 block of South Mitchell Street in coordination with CBU, which is installing a new water main adjacent to the sidewalk project.  Lane restrictions are in place along East Maxwell in this area for curb and ramp replacement. This work is scheduled to be completed on or before Friday, July 5, weather permitting.  

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 continues with the installation of sidewalks and curb ramps at the intersection of S. Patterson Dr. and W. 2nd St.  This project will construct a multiuse path along the north side of W. 2nd St/W. Bloomfield Rd. from S. Patterson Dr. to S. Adams St. It will also construct improvements for the signalized intersections of W. Bloomfield Rd. at S. Landmark Ave. and W. 2nd Street at S. Patterson Dr. The federally-funded project is included in the Bloomington/Monroe County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). Construction completion is slated for fall 2019. More information about the Second & Bloomfield Multimodal Safety Project is available at  https://bloomington.in.gov/engineering/projects/bloomfield (See photo below.)

The 17th Street Reconstruction Project to add pedestrian infrastructure and roadway improvements along the busy corridor is scheduled for completion by the fall of 2019. This work requires a full closure of West 17th Street from the roundabout at Arlington Road to the Vernal Pike/17th Street overpass. All through traffic, including pedestrians, must use an alternate route due to safety concerns.  More information about the project can be found at https://bloomington.in.gov/engineering/projects/17th

Photo:  Construction underway on the Second & Bloomfield Multimodal Safety Project