By DAVID A. MANN
David.Mann@newsandtribune.com
JEFFERSONVILLE —
Two blocks of Jeffersonville’s Market Street will be closed for the next two months as city crews update and resurface the area.
New street lights, sidewalks, road surface and landscaping — including trees and rain gardens purposed to soak up heavy amounts of rain water — are planned as a part of the project, between Fort Street and Mulberry Street, said city engineer Andy Crouch. The cost of the effort, as far as materials, wasn’t immediately available when requested Wednesday.
After the work is done, the road will be considerably more narrow in some places as parts of the road will be covered up by the new landscaping. Crouch said he believes the narrowing — which will shrink the road from 42 feet to 24 feet wide in some areas — will also work to curb speeding problems.
The road surface was rough, as a sewer project took place there last year. Crouch said the entire road is being redone from sidewalk to sidewalk and local traffic can use rear-alley to access their homes.
“Because we already had the pavement torn up due to a sanitary sewer separation project that the sewer board contracted this past winter, this seemed a prime spot to make improvements instead of simply overlaying the existing asphalt with another layer,” Crouch said in an e-mail. “We will be continuing this streetscape project on down to Spring Street along Market once some additional sewer separation work is completed this fall.
“There were also sidewalks in the area that needed to be replaced, and this project will address that issue as well.”
Crouch said the sidewalk on the south side will be wider as a means of providing better access during events such as Thunder over Louisville, Smokin’ on the River barbecue festival and RiverStage concerts.
The road closure for the project was approved during a Wednesday morning meeting of the Jeffersonville Board of Public Works and Safety.
In other business
• The board approved the use of Lansden Park from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 19 for an event celebrating September as Drug and Alcohol Recovery Month. The event is free and will feature music, food and games. Mental health care provider Centerstone is putting on the festivities.
• The board agreed to put no parking zones on Charlestown Pike, near Shirley Hall Park. Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Bob Manor told the board many parents are parking along the street, rather than using the nearby parking lot, when going to youth football games there.
The zones were suggested as a precautionary measure, Manor said, as children are jumping out of their parents’ vehicles and onto the street without checking for traffic.
