The Decatur Minute recently provided this update on the streetscape improvements currently underway in the Oakhurst commercial district…

Starting in front of the Solarium, streetscapes contractor CMES, Inc. will begin removal and replacement of the sidewalk along the north side of West Hill Street, then break for the holidays on December 24. Work will resume on January 5.

Sidewalks on West Hill Street will be followed by construction of a small retaining wall and new sidewalks on the east side of Oakview Road. Temporary crosswalks will be placed across West Hill Street and Oakview Road while the new sidewalks are under construction. [Above] is a map showing the first phase of construction around the south and west perimeter of the Old Scottish Rite Hospital  property.

Map line drawn by DM, map courtesy of Google Maps

From the Decatur Minute…

Oakhurst streetscape contractor CMES will continue preliminary construction activities and will begin removal of several trees in the project area on December 8. Three large trees to be removed have been repeatedly damaged by utility line clearance. Other trees to be removed are in areas that will be impacted by new, wider sidewalks and more generous outdoor dining areas. Because the off-street parking lot at Harmony Park will be removed to increase the size of the park, one large tree will be removed to provide an area for replacement angled parking.

Changes to the landscape are always dramatic. However, new trees will be planted throughout the project area as part of the streetscape improvements, including large shade trees where not in conflict with overhead utilities.

Looks like the Oakhurst Streetscape Improvements are finally ready to get underway.

The Decatur City Commission is set to vote tonight to accept the low bid from Construction Management & Engineering Services of Norcross to make the long time coming Oakhurst Streetscape Improvements.  (They’ve been in progress so long that the project name requires capitalization!)

The project is bid out at $1.4 million, according to a letter from Asst. City Manager Hugh Saxon, with a project budget of a little over $2 million.  A bit more than half of the funding will come from GDOT’s Transportation Enhancement program and the rest will come from the city’s bond project funds.

According to Mr. Saxon, the project will include…

• New sidewalks
• Street trees
• Streetlights
• Street furniture
• relocation of the existing parking area and a modest expansion of Harmony Park
• a rain garden
• drainage improvements
• milling and repaving for Oakhurst commercial district

The project is projected to take 12 months to complete