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Lake Street project planned

Waupaca to start work in spring 2017

By Angie Landsverk


Cedar Corporation is in the process of designing construction work for Waupaca’s Lake Street.

The Waupaca Common Council recently awarded the design contract services to the company at a cost not to exceed $14,730.

Cedar Corporation, which has several offices in the state, was one of 17 companies to submit a proposal.

Justin Berrens, Waupaca’s director of public works, said the project will be from South Main Street to Eighth Street.

A cost estimate for construction will be provided to the city this fall and used for capital planning in 2017, he said.

The design process is expected to take about six months, with bidding for the project planned for next spring.

Depending on funding, the entire project could take place next summer, or the work could be divided into two sections over two summers, Berrens said.

He said an underground investigation showed the sewer service is in good shape.

The work on Lake Street, from South Main Street to about Fifth Street, will involve milling and paving, Berrens said.

He said a city crew may also do a little spot concrete work in that section.

“From Main to Fifth will pretty much be open when they’re repaving. It will be a flagging operation,” he said.

When work takes place on Lake Street, from Fifth to Eighth streets, the street will be shut down.

There will be detours during that part of the project, with the contract including exceptions, so property owners in that section of the street will be able to get in and out of their driveways, Berrens said.

A total reconstruction of that section of Lake Street will be necessary because of the size of the water main underneath it.

That section of Lake Street has a four-inch water main under it, Berrens said.

“It is old and not up to DNR (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) standards,” he said. “All communities are encouraged to replace it when they can.”

As a result, that section of Lake Street will get a new water main and its pavement will be reconstructed, Berrens said.
“The curb will stay. It is in good condition,” he said.

Berrens also said the water mains under both Fifth and Jefferson streets are four-inch mains.

Therefore, on both Fifth and Jefferson streets, the work on Lake Street will go approximately 20 to 30 feet into each of those two streets, he said.

“So, in the future, if we want to replace their four-inch water mains, we can tie it into the new one on Lake without tearing Lake up again,” Berrens said.

Berrens said Lake Street has been on his radar since he became the city’s new public works director a year ago.

“I picked up where (former director) John (Edlebeck) was,” Berrens said. “He had a list of streets.”

That list included Demarest, Ninth and Morton streets – all streets which have been addressed, Berrens said.

“Lake kept coming up,” he said. “The sealcoat on it now, from what I understand, has been on there 10 to 15 years.”

Berrens said the city is trying to evaluate which street projects may be completed before Main Street is reconstructed.

That project is slated to occur in 2018, at the earliest.

“The other two streets on my radar are Evans and Granite,” Berrens said.

With Waupaca County scheduled to work on the bridge near Bethany Home in 2018, he wants to wait until after that project is completed before scheduling work on Evans Street.

That is because Evans Street will be part of the detour when the bridge construction occurs.

“It will get a lot of traffic,” Berrens said.

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