Excerpts Re-posted with permission by Anna Gordon of Living Cully
Running north from its intersection with NE Killingsworth, today’s NE 72nd Ave is one of Cully Neighborhood’s many forgotten streets – an 860lf crumbling asphalt street with no stormwater infrastructure: no curbs, no storm sewer, no sumps, and a shoulder that collects and ponds stormwater. It ends at the entrance to the Community Garden, but lacks sidewalks, appropriate lighting, and other pedestrian safety features. Verde, together with minority-owned contractors Colas Construction and Raimore Construction, began rebuilding NE 72nd Avenue in late 2015, and anticipate that we will complete construction by April 2016.
“Enhancing local infrastructure contributes to community pride, safety and future opportunity.”
PPF asked Luis Lopez, Project Engineer at Probity Builders about the project. He explained that the project's design goes well beyond city requirements and includes other benefits like 9 bio-swales, 1 storm water facility, 11 pervious (porous) vehicle parking stations and sidewalk, and native plantings throughout the entire street. As Lopez said, "My favorite feature of the street is the vehicle parking areas. The street incorporates pervious parking areas that benefit neighbors while helping manage stormwater."
By building NE 72nd Greenstreet, Verde improves water quality, educates youth, provides diverse and local green job and business opportunities, improves pedestrian and bicycle mobility, and tests a community-based model for Greenstreet development. "The 72nd Ave Green Street improves and benefits a community long overlooked and underserved. Enhancing local infrastructure contributes to community pride, safety and future opportunity,"said Lopez.
Verde hopes to complete the project by next month, and we look forward to celebrating their new gateway to Cully Park together.
To see the original post visit the Living Cully Website