East of Merle Hay Road Improvements

Conceptual Plan


Click here (PDF) to read the East of Merle Hay Road conceptual plan. Click here (PDF) to view the map of the project. 

Phase 2 - NW 57th Avenue


Engineer: Foth Infrastructure & Environment, LLC, Doug Ernst

City Staff Contact:
Matt Greiner
Public Works Director
515.278.0822
Matt's Email

Project Update (3/14/18)
Kingston plans to begin the final section (from NW 52nd Street to NW 50th Street) sometime next week. Foth Engineering plans to meet with the contractor first thing next week to put together a schedule of the project.

The Contractor is nearing the completion of the major construction activities for Stage 3 of the NW 57th Avenue Improvements. Remaining driveways are being constructed and the on-site Engineer will notify each resident or property owner when each driveway has been approved for vehicle traffic. 

After the completion of the driveways and roadway opening, the Contractor will be working to stabilize the site for the winter months. Initial grading, mulching, and general clean-up will be completed to minimize issues that can occur with the cold weather, snow, and the spring melt. Once the site has been sufficiently stabilized, the Contractor will move off-site until work resumes in the spring. Click here (PDF) to read the residents letter. 

Project Description: Reconstruction of NW 57th Avenue from Merle Hay Road to NW Beaver Drive. Project includes roadway improvements based on the Public Engagement Process, storm sewer construction, sanitary sewer installation, and water main replacement.

Project Status: 
As of Wednesday, Sept. 13, all underground utilities (water main, sanitary and storm sewer) between Merle Hay Road and NW 54th Court have been completed. The contractor plans on doing sub-grade prep for this area the weekend of Sept. 16-17, with a planned paving date of this coming Tuesday, Sept. 19.

While paving prep takes place to the west, the underground crews will continue to work east. Starting some time this afternoon, they will close NW 57th to through traffic west of NW 52nd Street. Underground work will take place from from the corner of NW 54th Ct to roughly 5250 NW 57th Ave. This work is expected to take several weeks, with a tentative paving date for that phase slated for the 3rd week in October.

Click here to see the latest update on the project. The detour map is available to view by clicking here.  NW 57th Avenue will be closed to thru traffic beginning June 19.  The closure is from Merle Hay Road to NW 54th Court.  To view the detour for this closure click here.  This closure is for the installation of a new storm and sanitary sewer on the project.

Doug Ernst with Foth Infrastructure may be reached by telephone at 515.251.2585 and is available to answer any project questions you may have.

Phase 3 - NW 54th Court (from NW 57th Ave to NW 60th Ave)


Project Update (as of 4/27/18)
MidAmerican’s installation of the gas line and services was completed April 27. They were complete a week ahead of schedule.

This week, preparation will begin for the construction of access roads and ultimately the sanitary sewer and storm sewer. Mailboxes will be removed and stored. A bank of mailboxes will be installed at the southwest corner of NW 54th Court and NW 60th Avenue. Expect to begin collecting your mail from the new location on May 3rd. Residents have a more detailed letter (PDF) regarding this via email and will also receive one via USPS.

Starting the week of May 7th, a “soft” closure will be in place on NW 54th Court as access roads are constructed. The “soft” closure is to discourage thru traffic and will include barricades at each end of the street. Residents will have access to your homes.

Beginning the week of May 14th, the closure will be evident as pavement will start to be removed and sanitary sewer will begin to be installed. The contractor will begin at the south end of the project and work north. Access roads will be in place and residents will have access to their homes.

Construction schedules can change due to weather or unforeseen circumstances. We will do our best to update those changes as well.

As the majority of construction gets underway, please use caution. Many are curious about what happens and how it happens but safety is crucial for residents and the contractor.

Project Information and Communication Items 
Click here (PDF) to view the letter sent March 2, 2018 to residents regarding tree removal.
Click here (PDF) to view the meeting presentation from Tuesday, March 22.   
Click here and here (PDF) to view design plans. 

Phase 4B - NW 54th Ct/NW 60th/NW 61st St

 

The first public information meeting for this project was held on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 from 5:30-7:00 PM in the Johnston City Hall Council Chambers. The intent of this meeting was to start a dialogue with the surrounding property owners on issues from your perspective that may exist in the corridor.  The design team and representatives from the City were be present to listen and gather your input so that it may be incorporated into the design process. 


Work Already Completed

 

Project Name: East of Merle Hay Road Sanitary Trunk Sewer Extension – Phase 1A

Project Location Map

Estimated Cost: $780,000
Special Note: The City of Johnston received a Community Development Block Grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The grant funds were used to help finance the construction of the municipal storm sewer system to serve this area.

Project Name: NW 60th Avenue Improvements (East of Merle Hay Road Phase 4A)

Estimated Cost: $1.48 million

The City of Johnston received a $15,000 grant in December 2015 to help pay for the trail improvements. Click here to learn more about The Wellmark Foundation grant.

Traffic Studies:

Brite Beginnings Daycare & Kevin's Place Shopping Center Traffic Study - May 2007

Grocery Store Traffic Study - May 2007

NW Beaver Drive Commercial Development Traffic Study - May 2007

Project Name: NW 55th Avenue Improvements - Phase 1B
Estimated Cost: $3.1 Million
Project Description: Reconstruction of NW 55th Avenue from Merle Hay Road to NW Beaver Drive. Project included roadway improvements based on the Public Engagement Process, storm sewer construction, sanitary sewer installation, and water main replacement.

An ordinance establishing the East of Merle Hay Road and South of NW 62nd Avenue sanitary sewer extension connection fee district was established. Click here to read the ordinance.
Exhibits A and B show property numbers and project boundaries.

Project Area


East of Merle Hay Road is the area between Merle Hay Road, Beaver Drive, Johnston Drive and NW 62nd Avenue. Here is a link to the Project Area Map. Neighborhood areas include NW 55th Avenue, NW 57th Avenue, NW 54th Court, NW 60th Avenue, & NW 61st Place. A map is available to identify which sub-group to which a neighborhood belongs.
Below are before and after pictures that have been prepared based on input from residents in the area during the above public workshops.

Visual Preference Survey

The visual preference survey was an exercise where the residents were asked to rate a series of images on a scale of -5 to +5 as to their opinion of how well a particular infrastructure improvement would fit in with their neighborhood. The improvements were grouped by category and the results are presented by neighborhood subarea average and the total neighborhood average. The most positive image in each category is highlighted in yellow, while the most negative image is highlighted in red. This purpose of the exercise was to begin the process of visualizing potential physical neighborhood improvements and to discuss the merit of various improvement alternatives. The results are not intended to be interpreted as definitive chosen alternatives.

Input and Contact Information


A comment form is available for your input regarding the project.

City staff working on the project can be reached via email.

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