The City of Boulder’s major reconstruction of Broadway, the street that fronts our property, from Pine Street north to Iris Avenue was completed in 2010. It was an “interesting” two years for us, but we are very happy with the results. Our sidewalk along Broadway was moved back from the street, making it much more enjoyable for walking and, for us, safer for things like shoveling snow. We are very excited about the improvements. We have posted pictures below of the progress to give a feel of what went on.
The stone wall was rebuilt, just set back to the east. The stonemason rebuilt it to look just like the original. A new iron fence has been installed on top of the fence and we now have sandstone signs on the fence. The new, wider sidewalk, set back from the street, complete with a new bus stop with a bench and bike rack is paved with porous pavers. The planting strip has drought tolerant plants, native grasses and some new trees. We love our new frontage. The result of two years of work is a very much improved Broadway and sidewalk for everyone. The City Transportation Department and all the contractors were outstanding. They all were attentive to details, to our concerns and needs. They kept us informed at all times as to what was happening and were happy to answer any questions we had. They were attentive to all the details, like carefully removing and saving a selection of the shrubs in front of the house. Please give everyone a big thank you for all the improvements.
Our Broadway frontage before reconstruction, with the sidewalk next to the street.
The landscape architects’ drawing of the finished sidewalk. This will be a much more welcoming and pleasant experience. We are looking forward to the finished product. (Image courtesy of Shapins Belt Collins, Landscape Architects)
New sidewalk, bus stop, fencing, and landscaping along Broadway. It was definitely worth the wait.
Initial work on installing the new water main in Broadway on June 29, 2009
Getting serious about that new water main
Visions of an all-nighter
Installing the barrier fence in preparation for starting work on the new sidewalk. The utilities in this section were installed under the new sidewalk.
All of the construction along our Broadway frontage looked worse than it was. The fencing was set back farther from Broadway in order to be able to stockpile the topsoil for reuse and to provide maneuvering room for the equipment. The end result of all of this resulted in a much better sidewalk and frontage for all. The contractor was really good and saved some of the shrubs which we have replanted. These photos were taken looking north from our driveway. This is the area where the new sidewalk is located. The trench is for several utility lines that buried.
Part of the new sidewalk setback was to move and then rebuild the wall. The pillars on either side of the drive were moved back as well. The final result is a new, rebuilt wall that looks exactly like the original one, just moved east about 10 feet. It is actually better, because the existing damage from an automobile will be repaired. John Merims, of Aspen Grove Stone Masonry did the work. This photo is of the start of the deconstruction of the north wing of the driveway wall. He has marked each stone for replacement in rebuilding.
North wall before
North wall almost done, just needs the concrete cap
Detail of the new stone work, before the cap.
Detail of the new stone wall after concrete cap, before new iron fence.
A new iron fence has been installed on the wall by Eric St. Germain of Loop fence, now English Garden Fence (handcrafted in Boulder). It mirrors the loop design of the historic wire fence (also newly replaced) along the rest of our frontage. This new iron fence is untreated so it will rust naturally and will require no treatment, making it very sustainable. The sandstone sign was made by Tribble Stone Company, and like the rest of the wall and fence, is a work of art.
Digging for installation of new storm sewer along Broadway, across from Long’s Gardens.
