Watertown to make Burlington a one-way street | Community Notes

Mayor Jeffrey M. Smith said it was “a straight-forward option, a reasonable option.”

Last month, an open house was held for residents to find out more about the project.

About 10 of the 16 property owners on the street attended the session. The majority of them are in favor of a one-way street.

Another option consisted of modest changes to the existing street while maintaining the two-way traffic pattern. The other would have been keeping it a two-way street with on-street parking.

The project consists of total reconstruction of the street and installing new sidewalks, curbing, utilities, sewers and sidewalk ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Burlington Street is a hilly street with curbing on one side higher than the other. Motorists are unable to drive up the icy street in the winter because many end up sliding into a yard.

“It’s a very, very complex project,” city planner Geoffrey T. Urda said.

Council members will be asked to formally approve the one-way street option in the coming weeks.

The design of the project will be completed this fall, bids are to go out over the winter and construction is slated to begin in the spring.

Funding for the project will come from $275,000 in Community Development Block money, American Rescue Plan Act funds for the design and the remainder from bonding.

The engineering firms of Aubertine & Currier and LaBella Associates, Rochester, are designing the project.

Council members also informally agreed to proceed with as much as a mile of new trails in historic Thompson Park.

The three trails would cost $1,150,000 and are included in the park’s new master plan.

This summer, council members appropriated $636,0000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for Thompson Park priority projects.

On Tuesday night, council members agreed to get as much of the trails done using the ARPA funding and seek grants to finish the rest of them.

Design work would occur over the next several months and construction is planned for next year.

The three new trails are designed to connect the northern, central and eastern parts of the park.