Upper Kirby District Street Talk  

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District Roadway Construction
Levy Park
Upper Kirby Streetscape Initiatives

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January 13, 2017

Upper Kirby Construction
Westheimer Pushes to Complete First Section of Storm Sewer


Westheimer Reconstruction: Kirby to Buffalo Speedway
New Concrete Between Kirby and Bellemeade

Storm sewer work is now complete on the north side of Westheimer at Kirby moving west toward Buffalo Speedway. This week, workers were able to complete framing and surface preparation on Monday and Tuesday and successfully poured the main lanes of Westheimer between Kirby and just east of Bellemeade overnight Wednesday. While the overnight work was a significant imposition on area residents, it was necessary to conduct the eight-hour pour during the overnight hours. Due to site limitations, the concrete trucks obstruct one of the two through lanes when they pour and the contractor must usher both east and westbound traffic through one lane to get around the activity. Area residents will be glad to know that this is the last task that requires night activity along this first phase of the project. 

Over the next week, crews will be cleaning up the site and placing temporary transition material while the concrete fully cures. Lane striping will be placed late next week as well with the goal of having the lanes reopened by Friday. 

The City has mandated that no major thoroughfare construction be underway for the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl in early February, so this project will demobilize between January 23 and February 7. At that point, storm sewer work will progress from Bellemeade to Buffalo Speedway. Crews will also come back to the first phase between Kirby and Bellemeade to complete driveway and sidewalk construction. Driveway work in this area will have minimal impact on lanes during off-peak hours. 

There are also two main storm sewer lateral lines on this project that will be constructed on Bammel and Sackett between Westheimer and Alabama. Crews have completed storm sewer installation roughly up to Elbert and will continue to progress toward Westheimer over the next week. Concrete work here will likely take place during the two-week Super Bowl hiatus on Westheimer. Look for further updates as this schedule is finalized. 

Timing on this project has been coordinated closely with Lamar High School as it will also be undergoing a large construction project during the same period. Lamar will be using Westheimer for bus pickup and drop-off during its construction, and so, it will be important for Weshteimer work to progress fast enough to flip work to the south side of the road from Buffalo Speedway past the school by June. This will allow the contractor to cross the school over the summer months when there will be no bus or student traffic to contend with.  
  
Look for further updates as this project progresses.

Westheimer Reconstruction: Kirby to Shepherd

Traffic signal work was completed at the Shepherd/Westheimer intersection over the weekend of December 17. Due to the holidays, the City was not able to complete its inspection before January 1 and it has been scheduled for next week. Upon a successful inspection, the City will switch the signals to the permanent fixtures and the contractor can remove the temporary poles and restore the intersection corners behind the curb. Look for this work to continue over the next two weeks. 

Final work around the overhead utility poles still remains, however, this work cannot be completed until Comcast and CenterPoint Energy facilities have been removed from the poles.  Despite regular and ongoing efforts by the District to expedite this work, neither entity has committed to a schedule for removal. Look for further updates as their schedule is made available. 

Bissonnet Reconstruction:  Kirby to Buffalo Speedway 

Bissonnet reconstruction work was completed between Kirby and Dincans on December 19 and reopened to the traveling public. The remainder of the project including the north side of the roadway between Dincans and Buffalo Speedway and the south side of the roadway between Kirby and Buffalo Speedway will be rebid for construction in the first quarter of 2017. 

For more information on Upper Kirby construction and related activities or for construction related issues or concerns, please contact Travis Younkin at 713.524.8000 or  travis@upperkirby.org.   
Levy Park 
Lights are on at Levy

Dog Park Finishes up
After suffering a setback last month due to Center Point Energy requiring revisions to the electrical system, the park now has power. Circuits are being turned on from west to east across the park as they are completed and fixtures are installed. It is expected that lights throughout the park will be on by the end of next week. 

The dog park is now substantially complete allowing artificial turf installation to move to the children's area next week.  Final touches on the restroom amenities are being touched up next week as well. 

Raised planting beds in the community garden were installed yesterday and landscaping and fruit tree plantings around the garden should be completed over the next few days.  

Heavy rains are expected for Monday and Tuesday of next week, but crews are hopeful that the weather allows for some progress to take place. 

Look for further updates as the project progresses. 
  
Grand Opening February 25

The Levy Park Grand Opening celebration has been scheduled for Saturday, February 25. Programming partners will be in attendance to offer a glimpse of the full schedule of daily, weekly and seasonal performances, programs and classes to be offered. Plan for a full day of fun, food and entertainment at Levy Park. 

Want to be Part of the Levy Park Team?

Levy Park Conservancy (LPC) is seeking part-time (8-20 hours/week) Program Attendants for the redeveloped Levy Park in central Houston. LPC is a private not-for-profit corporation formed by the Upper Kirby District to manage Levy Park through an agreement with the Upper Kirby Redevelopment Authority.

LPC's vision for Levy Park is an active, vibrant "town square" that will host hundreds of programs and events per year, ranging from fitness classes to concerts for up to 3,000 people.  LPC has studied great public parks across the country and plans to bring best practices to the park's operations, programming, landscaping, and maintenance; Levy Park will be run to the highest standards for an urban public space.

For more information about this role and the desired skills and experience, please email Nicole Romano ( nromano@levyparkhouston.org ) with the subject line "Program Attendant."

If you have a new business, development or community event that you would like included in the monthly Upper Kirby news, please contact us at 713.524.8000 or submit to streettalk@upperkirby.org
 
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Upper Kirby is a constantly evolving urban area marked by an outstanding location, great shopping, unique residential neighborhoods, smart development and a small town feel. It is an area of successful businesses, involved communities and a synergy between the public and private sectors. It is the heartbeat of Houston and everywhere you want to be.