City of Lynchburg – Downtown Renewal Program. Lynchburg, Virginia.
Covering 24 blocks of the downtown area, WRA provided the design for the replacement of water and sanitary sewer lines, drainage improvements, pedestrian accessibility, conversion to two-way traffic, transit upgrades, streetscape improvements, updated signing, and traffic calming features. Church and Main Street improvements ($9.5 M) were completed in 2017 on schedule and under budget as a result of WRA, the City and their contractor working closely throughout the design and construction phases. This collaborative effort continued into the Main Street Renewal project ($8.6 M) with weekly coordination meetings being held resulting in a completion date several months ahead of schedule. The Commerce Street Renewal project is expected to begin construction in Fall 2021. WRA has also provided construction inspection and construction administration services during construction on these projects.
Services Performed
Project Highlights
Water/Wastewater
WRA provided utility design services for water and sanitary sewer; including the replacement of aging cast iron water mains dating back to the 1800s with new ductile iron water main, replacement of aging sanitary sewer mains and installation of new conduit for fiber optic and street lighting. The Main Street Renewal project was highly coordinated with the installation of a new power duct bank and vaults in addition to coordinating with other private utilities in the downtown area
Highways/Roadway
Design included re-establishment of a 4-6 inch curb and improving roadway cross slopes and profile, improved drainage features including larger inlets and in-line self-cleaning check valves between the inlet and the sanitary sewer on the combined sewer portion of the system.
Pedestrian/Transit
The streetscape included replacement of all the sidewalks and landscaping with new hardscape, trees, and plantings. Sidewalk widths were improved, bump-outs were installed at crosswalks to shorten the crossing length, Greater Lynchburg Transit Company (GLTC) bus stops were upgraded and crosswalks with better visibility were installed, making the area more pedestrian friendly. Road and sidewalk cross slopes were corrected to maintain ADA compliance.
Traffic
New signing and pavement markings were installed as part of the roadway improvements. This included the design for the conversion of Main Street and Church Street from existing one-way streets, which date to 1954, to two-way streets to conform to the city’s Downtown 2040 Master Plan. The design included the modifications and/or replacement of existing traffic signals.
Structural
Services include review of design impacts on existing vault structures and subsurface building facilities and mitigation of the impacts.
Construction Management
Working as the City’s on-site representative, WRA provided a Construction Manager and Senior Construction Inspector on the Main Street Renewal project. Services included monitoring construction quality, resolving field issues, coordinating with the City and Engineer of Record to respond to RFI’s, reviewing and recommending approval for the Contractor’s monthly pay applications, facilitating and participating in field/progress meetings, monitoring traffic control and work zone safety, coordinating with commercial property owners, and preparing and maintaining project documentation. Services will continue on the Commerce Street Renewal project.