Our hilly street doesn't have sidewalks or "hellstrips" and the land slopes up on our side and down across the street. The city, however, owns the first 16 feet of our property in case they ever wanted to add sidewalks. That's why we planted it with Geranium macrorrhizum and Hostas. If you enlarge the photo you can see that there is a gravel path behind the Geraniums that curves toward the street. You can also just see the edge of the water hydrant. You'll see more images of those locations.
After living here 29 years, they're replacing the storm and sanitary sewer systems that were put in when the houses were built in the 1950s as well as new water and gas mains. They're also getting rid of the on-street parking lanes and using that space to create a shared bike/pedestrian lane as the city bases transportation on the safety of those two groups rather than cars.
This project began in April and runs until early November. Our lack of rain has been a boon to this project as weather has not affected their schedule.
Every morning just before 7 a.m. the water truck comes down the street shooting water out of spigots on the front and back of the truck to help keep down the dust.
The street is a mess and barely deserves the name "dirt road," though there is plenty of dirt. The view from our house east with the green pipe on our neighbor's lawn. The orange fence is a safety measure as it marks a deep hole where the crew is working. The orange signs in the far distance mark the end of the block where the cross street is located.
Looking west. The Oak tree with the yellow ribbon around it is at the end of our driveway. The ribbon indicates this is an important tree and the crews need to preserve it. We actually had one of the city foresters here the day they were digging near it to keep an eye on things.
The roadway and lawns are a constantly changing landscape of colorful spray paint marks indicating underground pipes.
We'd been watching the crew putting in the sanitary sewer pipes in the roadway. Now they were getting to our house to put in the new connecting pipes. They cleared their work area of greenery before we even realized it had happened.
Next morning before the workmen got to our house Mark and I dug out all the Hostas and a bunch of the Hakonechloa grass to save. I realized all my special white daffs were now half gone and so I grabbed as many of those as I could as well.
We cleared this area out and luckily the workmen were not going to have to remove our rocks that line this area of the path which will make it easier to know what goes where when we replant in the fall.
We filled our largest wheelbarrow full of plants . . .
along with 9 buckets of shrub size. It seemed easier to take everything and make decisions later about what will actually get replanted.
Then the big guys came to our house.
Getting ready to dig. The water hydrant is on the west lot line.
I'm not sure how many scoops of dirt they removed to make the hole the depth they needed. When the installed the manhole in front of our hose near the Oak tree, they went down 22 feet!
This worker is removing a section of the old stainless steel gas line that was abandoned when the new plastic one was installed earlier this spring.
These pairs of linked street plates make a box that gets set into the hole to keep the dirt walls from collapsing on the workmen down there. For deep excavations like the one in front of out house they are stacked two high.
It is amazing to watch this work and realize that despite the big machines a lot of it is done by hand as the guys maneuvering the box show.
I've learned that despite guys standing around they are not just shooting the breeze. They are always waiting for the next machine or pile of gravel or whatever to arrive.
The hole is dug and ready for the pipe to be inserted.
It's all marked off with safety fencing.
Job done until the next stage of the project. I did notice that years of letting the Geraniums die back in place and putting down leaf mulch had created some pretty nice soil in this area of the garden which has been replaced with some pretty sorry looking 'fill.' Trying not to think about that . . .
Mark has taken around 5000 of photos so far. He knows the members of the crew, the dump truck and equipment drivers, engineers and more. Putting that personal face on this project has made it facinating to watch and much easier to deal with than probably would be the case otherwise. I have been so impressed with the skill and agility of these workers, that it has completely changed my ideas about what happens on big city projects like this.
I should point out that though I used the term "workmen," I've seen female dump truck drivers, flag-persons, concrete installers, and more than one city engineer supervising the work.
I've been going through a similar plant moving project albeit less extreme. We have expanded the deck out back and I had to relocate numerous plants, some of which I planted in a new bed around the propane tank. Now that tank is getting upgraded to a larger size and I have to move some plants a second time. Sigh.
Posted by: Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening | Monday, June 26, 2023 at 08:53 AM
This project is rather unnerving. I bet you'd be relieved to see the crew done and gone.
I wonder why the bike and pedestrian lanes come at the expense of street parking, when the city owns the first 16' of land off the road. It seems perfectly suitable for a sidewalk and a bike lane. Where will family and friends park when they come over for a 4th of July picnic?
Posted by: Chavli | Monday, June 26, 2023 at 09:06 AM
Yikes. This looks really upsetting, but inevitable - I feel for you!
We had similar devastation when a 115+ year old tree within the city owned right of way was blown down in a freak storm 2 summers ago, taking with it tons of Virginia bluebells, bulbs and some really lovely shrubs. The carefully enriched soil, built up over many years of mulching and composting, somehow disappeared into the huge root hole and after the city came and removed the fallen tree (which blessedly went down the street instead of onto anyone's house, or the kindergarten bus stop that a few hours earlier might have had kids!), and ground up the stump there was just orange clay and shredded stump. Now 2 years later we have coaxed along some flowers so there is a silver lining (and of course no one was injured in the whole tree fall), but it was very traumatic!
Ceci
ceci
Posted by: Ceci | Monday, June 26, 2023 at 01:28 PM
KATHY — I had that kind of moving experience a few years ago when we redid our driveway and everything 2' deep along the edges had to get moved if I wanted to save them. That's when the moss garden got turned into holding beds.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Monday, June 26, 2023 at 02:35 PM
CHAVLI — Because of the up and down slopes on each side of the street the city would have to build stone retaining walls and cut down all the mature trees and we'd all protest. So this is a better solution. We're not happy about losing parking because it will make garden tours and family events more problematic. Luckily neighbors are already saying we can use their driveways for special events.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Monday, June 26, 2023 at 02:39 PM
CECI — That is more disconcerting having something unexpected like that. We've always known that someday the axe would fall. I am letting plants grow over the paths in the front yard so there will be plenty to move into the empty spaces.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Monday, June 26, 2023 at 02:42 PM
22 feet, wow! That IS a huge project, for that and so many other reasons. It will be interesting to follow your coverage throughout the process, replanting, and new seasons beyond. :)
Posted by: Beth@PlantPostings | Monday, June 26, 2023 at 02:58 PM
Oh my goodness, this is a HUGE project. So good that you and Mark have been able to make it a far better experience than it might have been. Yes, lots of jobs that if people only knew how it all worked would perhaps lead to a deeper appreciation of what goes on around us.
Posted by: Barbara H. | Monday, June 26, 2023 at 04:05 PM
On the good side, work is progressing with little or no weather interference so far, so maybe they'll be done a little sooner.
It sounds like you and Mark are handling this major disruption with grace.
Posted by: hb | Monday, June 26, 2023 at 04:10 PM
What an operation! But it sounds like it's getting done with a limited amount of angst, which is commendable. Nonetheless, I'm sure you'll be happy to see the project done in November.
Posted by: Kris P | Monday, June 26, 2023 at 05:03 PM
Oh, wow, I'm glad that you and Mark are still able to appreciate the project. Having the fill replace the good dirt is a blow. I'm glad you're sharing what you're observing, as I'm finding it to be quite interesting.
Posted by: Kristin | Monday, June 26, 2023 at 08:12 PM
KRISTIN — I think they have to come back and do more work. So I am assuming that is not the final fill dirt. In most cases they will be planting grass but we will just want decent dirt.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at 11:08 AM
Oh my gosh, that "road"!!
You're holding up well considering the work being done out front. I guess what is getting done is getting done and you've already put in your say and now it's just a matter of sitting back for the show. At least you're not footing the bill!
Posted by: Frank | Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at 04:47 PM
Madison is amazing. There are so many other places where this would have been a nightmare. How wonderful to have workers who take into consideration your concerns.
Posted by: Christine | Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at 08:59 PM
FRANK — We will be billed about $2,600 which is much less than folks on the other side of the street. Our curb and gutters dont have to be replaced which is keeping our cost down. They are on the side that is being re-designed and will foot a bigger bill.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 08:13 AM
I can feel my chest getting tight and blood pressure going up as I read/look at the photos. So many bad memories of our own street work, which was nothing compared to yours. Fingers crossed for your plants!
Posted by: danger garden | Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 11:46 AM
DANGER — They should mostly be OK, especially the big root Geraniums. I really planned for this day with the original planting. Though I had no idea it would be this chaotic or take months to finish. It's a $5.4 million project!
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 12:39 PM
Oh gosh, I wouldn't be happy with that bill even if it is less than the neighbor's! I'm sure it will be wonderful when finished, and I'm also sure you're relieved the plantings were done with this eventuality in mind. I have to constantly remind myself than everything on the side of the house should be able to handle a backhoe running over it... just in case...
Posted by: Frank | Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 06:33 AM
Wow, that is amazing. Thanks for the update. I definitely would have felt stressed about the whole operation. You are right though, putting a personal touch on everything and getting to know the crew does make a huge difference.
Posted by: Jerry | Wednesday, July 05, 2023 at 10:23 PM