The press release is out for the closure of State Street from Third Avenue to First Avenue starting March 27, and the excitement is building for downtown renovation to begin. The closure is the first of four phases which will result in closures along State Street for the rest of 2023 and likely into 2024. The State Street Reconstruction Project has been in the works for quite some time, so here is a look back.

Following the creation of the Downtown Master Plan, the City contracted with Bolton and Menk in November 2020 to create the Downtown Implementation Plan, which set forth a schedule of reconstruction for all of downtown. Our infrastructure is old and worn, made worse with the tornado and derecho clean-ups, and we have to treat downtown as a whole when it comes to repairs and updates.

The plan is broken down into phases, and State Street is Phase 1 with full reconstruction from 3rd Street to 3rd Avenue. In September 2021, Bolton and Menk was hired to start the engineered plans for State Street.

Reconstruction means everything gets touched. The water lines under State Street are very old (one is more than 100 years old), so doing a new street surface does not make sense. If we are going to replace water lines, we should be addressing the sanitary and storm sewer to make sure this once-in-a-generation project stands the test of time.

The last thing anyone wants is a new street or sidewalk being torn up due to poor planning. The engineering of this project took many months and included a public open house in early 2022 to show what the finished project is expected to look like. The bid on the project was awarded in May 2022 to Con-Struct, who quickly encountered issues with obtaining the ductile iron water lines for the project. There was no reason to start construction in 2022 without all supplies available. But the wait is over and we are ready for construction to start in 2023!

The State Street Reconstruction Project sets the stage for the rest of the work to occur downtown in a few important ways. While the underground work (water, sewer, storm sewer) is a significant and important part of this project, it is not what will be seen when State Street is completed, but there are new exciting things that will be noticeable. A sidewalk-level cycle track will be added to the north side of the street.

This area will be designated specifically for biking in and around downtown and will result in the removal of the bike lanes from Main Street (which will allow for some parking to go from parallel to diagonal in a future phase of work). State Street will also be getting 42 trees along with some other green vegetation and make what was a concrete jungle a greener, more welcoming space. Benches and bike racks will also help with being a more welcoming location. The general design and color schemes will also be carried through to future phases on Main Street and other streets.

The Downtown Implementation Plan was estimating $1 million per block, and that turns out not to be far off. This $7.3 million project is funded with general obligation bonds, American Rescue Plan dollars, stormwater fees and sanitary sewer fees. State Street is also seeing financial support from outside sources, including the Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation, the Class of 1969/Rebuild Marshalltown Fund, and T-Mobile. These grants help to bring the “extra” to the project and make it more than just a reconstruction project.

As new ways to get to and through downtown are developed, please keep your frustration at bay. The State Street Reconstruction Project is the start of more great things coming to downtown and marks an important point in the rebuilding from the tornado.

——

Jessica Kinser is the Marshalltown City Administrator.