Welch Avenue (Campustown) Public Improvements
AMES, IOWA
WHKS led a multi-disciplined team to revitalize the historic Campustown Streetscape, located adjacent to Iowa State University in Ames.
The Ames Campustown Streetscape is on Welch Avenue and extends from Lincoln Way south to Chamberlain Street. Due to aging and undersized utilities, the street was removed and rebuilt. The project involved reconstruction of all streetscape (building face to building face), and all below grade utilities (storm sewer, sanitary sewer, water, etc.) within the 100 block of Welch Avenue.
The project is in a vibrant area of the City and required an extensive public outreach effort to obtain feedback from stakeholders, relay project objectives, and communicate project construction details with businesses and the public.
Project elements include permeable pavers, tree trenches, and other site amenities. The permeable pavers and tree trenches effectively capture the storm water quality volume, which is notable given the street’s five percent slope. The tree trenches were paid for with a water quality grant awarded to the City.
SERVICES PROVIDED:
- Street and utility design
- Survey
- Public involvement
- Bidding assistance
IMPROVING LIVES, BUILDING COMMUNITIES
During construction, an issue was identified with a storm casting on the curb. WHKS engineers quickly visited the site in the morning and brainstormed a solution on-site with City staff allowing construction to resume in the afternoon.
