Tim,
As a point of clarification - The reason you have not seen a copy of the letter from the DNR is that there isn't a letter for a further delay until 2013 at the latest. The Madison Water Utility did request a one year extension in 2009 to accommodate the Williamson Street reconstruction project delay from 2010 to 2011 and the DNR granted the extension. The utility now has until the end of 2011 to complete the replacement of all lead pipes in its system. As you may recall, 2010 was supposed to be the end of a ten year replacement project under the original consent agreement between the utility and the Wisconsin DNR. Robbie is correct, if the reconstruction project is delayed again, the utility will be replacing the lead services on Williamson Street in 2011. Robin ----- Original Message ----- From: tim wong To: Robbie Webber Cc: Bikies Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 3:58 PM Subject: Re: [Bikies] Willy St rebuild at Board of Public Works tonight(Wednesday) I haven't seen the letter, but I have been told that the DNR has signed off on a further delay in lead pipe removal until 2013 at the latest. The Williamson St. reconstruction will happen between Blount St. and the Yahara River, so the rail construction, including the Blair-John No Lane-Williamson intersection, will not affect it. In fact, Engineering was planning that traffic detour down the newly constructed Wmson St. around the Blair St. This is something the neighborhood does NOT want, so those reconstructions should happen in the same year. The city has agreed to narrow Wmson west of Baldwin from 48 to 44, but the existing street east of Baldwin is 42 feet wide. None of those widths--42, 44, or 48, qualify as a genuine "complete streets" street--all too narrow. On Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 3:47 PM, Robbie Webber <[email protected]> wrote: Marsha wants to delay, but there is a federal mandate to replace the lead pipes next year. So we either get the street torn up twice, or once. And there is no way to do Willy St in 2012 because of other construction to be done in that year - including the rail construction. That means a several-year delay, not one year. Again, the pipes will definitely be replaced next year, so Willy will be torn up next year. I acknowledge that there are advantages to narrowing the street, and I tried to outline them. I mostly wanted people to be aware that this is coming up TONIGHT. The current plan is 44 feet, not 42, so you can come and speak or not, but tonight is the night. As I said, there are trade-offs, and not everyone may agree whether those trade-offs are worth it. Marsha will not be at the meeting, because she has another one that she cannot miss. As to the "East side biking community" agreeing on this, I do not remember this ever coming up on this list, nor do I remember others asking other bicyclists that may use the area but not live there. Willy St is used by more than just the neighbors, and not all the bicyclists were consulted, as far as I can tell. Again, I am trying to provide information, so that anyone on this list can make their own decisions if they want to speak to the issue. Robbie Webber Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee www.bikewalkmadison.org Join our group on Facebook! On Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 3:32 PM, tim wong <[email protected]> wrote: Robbie has several things wrong on this. The east-side bicycling community has been involved in this green streets redesign effort. We strongly support the narrowing of the street, but, in addition, are urging the city to delay this reconstruction until 2012 so that we can get the "green streets" thing right--essentially a reversal of 60+ years of doing streets reconstructions wrong, i.e., making streets wider, faster, and mostly designed to get people to the suburbs faster. I will forward a letter we wrote to the city endorsing the narrower street after this. The short of it is that there are three bicycling alternatives within two blocks of Williamson St. In addition, Wmson east of Baldwin is 42 feet wide, and no one is advocating widening it. The other reason to support narrowing is that it allows for wider terraces, which permits taller trees to be planted, which provide more of a canopy, which has been show to slow cars down, as well as more bike racks and tables for restaurants who want outside seating. We are also hoping to have the utilities undergrounded during reconstruction. The conduit is being put in the ground, but the wires will stay above-ground, meaning the trees will continue to be butchered by MGE, cable companies, etc. If the east-rail bike path, Jenifer, and Spaight were not so close, I might not support this narrowing. But they are, so I do. I would strong urge all interested advocates, and especially 6th district residents, to e-mail or call Marsha and urge her to support a delay until 2012. So far she is standing with the city against the interests of the neighborhood (it's a little more complicated than it looks). Marquette Neighborhood Association and Schenk Atwood Starkweather Yahara (SASY) neighborhood council have both endorsed the delay, MNA unanimously and SASY with one dissenting vote. The alder, so far, is supporting Rob Phillips and Engineering in their opposition to delay. Your e-mails and calls might persuade her to support the delay. Thanks. tim On Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 2:34 PM, Robbie Webber <[email protected]> wrote: Just an FYI that the rebuild of Williamson St will be at the Board of Public Works tonight, in case anyone wants to weigh in on the new design. It looks like the public hearing will start at 6:30 PM, if I am reading the schedule correctly. It is item # 7 on the agenda linked below. http://legistar.cityofmadison.com/meetings/2010/10/8326_A_BOARD_OF_PUBLIC_WORKS_10-10-20_Agenda.pdf The Board of Public Works meets at the Water Utility Bldg - 119 Olin Ave. Sorry for the late notice, but this sort of crept up on me, (and I'm no longer a paid bike advocate or alder.) The reason that this particular street rebuild might require extra attention is that the proposal is to NARROW the street, which could have implications for all street users. Right now the curb-to-curb width is 48 feet. The outside lane - shared by parked cars and bicyclists most of the day, and an active car travel lane during rush hour - is 13 feet. The inside lane is 11 feet. The new design would narrow the street to 44 feet, and the current proposal would be 4 lanes, each 11 feet. This will mean that the outside lane will no longer be wide enough for bicyclists and parked cars to safely share. The options for bicyclists on Willy St would be A) get in the active car (inside) lane, or B) ride really close to the parked cars and be passed unsafely by car on the street. The advantage of narrowing the street is that there will be more space for trees and other "street amenities," which Willy St sorely lacks. More space for walking, sidewalk cafes, bike racks, benches, etc. Presumably, the traffic will move more slowly as well. This is a definitely trade-off: worse for bicyclists, but better for the overall look and feel of the street. I am of very mixed feelings about this. Beyond where the curbs are placed, there is the matter of where the lane marking are drawn, which is not being decided tonight. I will be pushing for making the outside lanes 12 feet instead of 11. This would still be a tight squeeze for a parked car-bicyclist to share, but it is an additional foot. Robbie Webber Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee www.bikewalkmadison.org Join our group on Facebook! _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org -- If you would like to sign a petition opposing Williamson St. Coop's permanent driveway, go to the link http://www.PetitionOnline.com/coop9876/petition.html .Even if you've signed the paper copy, sign this one especially if you have a comment to add. Or buy a T-shirt: STOP THE DRIVEWAY. Inquire here. -- If you would like to sign a petition opposing Williamson St. Coop's permanent driveway, go to the link http://www.PetitionOnline.com/coop9876/petition.html .Even if you've signed the paper copy, sign this one especially if you have a comment to add. Or buy a T-shirt: STOP THE DRIVEWAY. Inquire here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
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