Key points: 

1. Plan details proposed street improvements over the next six years. 
2. Sidewalk improvements, new streets, repaved streets among proposed projects.

QUINCY — The Quincy City Council will hold a hearing July 1 to solicit public opinion on the city’s six-year street improvement plan. It's scheduled for 6 p.m. during the regular council meeting at Quincy City Hall, 104 B St. SW. 

Some proposed street improvements are tied to development, and others, said Quincy Engineer Ariel Belino, are added because the streets in question need some work. 

Belino explained how projects are evaluated during the regular council meeting Tuesday. 

“We go around and look at (roads and sidewalks), if it’s already deteriorating,” Belino said. “Like Second Avenue – all the sidewalks there have been pushed up by the roots of the trees, and we need to put in a stormwater system.” 

It’s a revolving list, with new projects added as existing ones are completed, he said.  

City officials are proposing improvements to sections of A Street Northeast and 13th Avenue Southwest and want to extend some of the streets between Lauzier Park and 10th Avenue Southwest, among other projects. The timeline is still to be determined, but the update takes the city through 2031. 

The area of Second Avenue Southeast, J Street Southeast and Marginal Way is first on the priority list, with the street, sidewalks and stormwater system being rebuilt, and traffic calming devices, such as traffic diamonds, added. Estimated cost is about $3.2 million. 

Continued improvements are scheduled for M Street Northeast and Columbia Way, including a new road, sidewalks and curbs, and better street lighting. Estimated cost is $4 million. A separate project would upgrade the road and rail crossings on Columbia Way,  

A section of A Street Northeast from Third Avenue Northeast to Sixth Avenue Northeast would be rebuilt and widened to accommodate additional truck traffic. Estimated project cost is $1.67 million. 

The 13th Avenue Southwest project includes widening the street from the roundabout at SR 28 to the city limits in front of Lauzier Park. The park is scheduled for major upgrades, including the Q-Plex fieldhouse and the softball field that’s being moved from East Park.  

The road will be widened to include a left turn lane; sidewalks and streetlights will be added. Total project cost is estimated at about $3 million.  

Improving accessibility to Lauzier Park would be the goal of the R Street Southwest and T Street Southwest project. R Street will be extended along the border of the park to 13th Avenue Southwest. 

A new street, T Street Southwest, will be built south of the park. Both new streets will have water and sewer mains and stormwater drainage systems. That’s projected to cost about $4.7 million.  

The street plan also includes a walking trail from Lauzier Park to East Park on the other side of town. Total project cost is about $1.7 million.  

Ongoing projects include evaluation of sidewalks around town and their replacement where necessary and traffic calming measures, such as traffic diamonds, on Third Avenue Northeast. 

Upgrades are planned for the BNSF rail crossing on North Central Avenue, estimated to cost about $1.2 million. 

Council members adopted a new “Complete Streets” program during the meeting, something that Public Works Director Carl Worley said would help make the city eligible for additional transportation money. 

“On several of the potential grants, that’s one of the prerequisites,” Worley said.  

Belino said Second Avenue is an example of a project that could benefit from increased funding options. There are parts of that project that would be eligible for funding if the city had the Complete Streets program, he said. 

“If we have the Complete Streets ordinance in place, (on) those side streets we need to improve, we can apply for funding through the Complete Streets project,” he said.