Projects

Projects

Main Street Reconstruction, 2nd to 5th Street

DOWL provided multi-phase design services for the reconstruction of Juneau, Alaska’s Main Street. In addition to all the typical utility components (water, sewer, storm) of a city street reconstruction, the design also included several special features to enhance the ceremonial route to Alaska’s capitol building. The project widened sidewalks with architectural pavers and added landscaping and overhead canopies to improve the corridor for pedestrians. This is a steep area with limited right-of-way, so the team had to get creative for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. We were able to provide wider sidewalks without losing a single parking spot – important to downtown businesses and leaders. A traffic island and turn lane were added to better delineate vehicular movements and shorten crossing distances for pedestrians. The existing utilitarian highway lighting was replaced to create a more aesthetic ambience with the incorporation of lights into the canopy structures and the addition of decorative street lights. One of the challenges of this project was working around the utilidor that was built in to the street in the mid-1970s. The utilidor was a rats nest of fiber optic and electrical lines that required extensive coordination with local utility companies. Improvements to adjacent public properties also involved significant coordination with a number of city and state entities.

In addition to all the typical utility components (water, sewer, storm) of a city street reconstruction, the design also included several special features to enhance the ceremonial route to Alaska’s capitol building.

Location

Juneau, Alaska

Region

Alaska

Client

City and Borough of Juneau

Market

Transportation

Services

Construction Administration and Inspection

Geosciences

Land Use Planning

Project Management and Owner’s Representation

Survey and Mapping

Transportation Engineering

Transportation Planning

Water Supply and Wastewater