The City of Valparaiso has reached the mid-way point in its seasonal paving for streets and sidewalks, according to the City’s Engineering Department. “We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made, in arterial areas as well as in neighborhoods,” said Max Rehlander, Engineering Director. The City will pave approximately 7.8 lane miles of roadway this season and replace approximately 2.8 miles of sidewalk.
The 2023 infrastructure improvement plan includes highly visible roadways, such as Vale Park Road (paved from Calumet Avenue east to Sturdy Road), portions of Yellowstone Road, and Franklin Street, which also included significant underground work in separating storm sewers – a project that had long been on the City’s stormwater master plan. “It’s always advantageous when we can combine roadway work with underground improvements that provide long-term benefits for neighboring homes and businesses,” said Rehlander. “The roadway projects at Brown Street and Campbell Road represents another project with underground improvements that will have lasting benefits for the community,” he said.
The City’s Engineering Department has created an interactive map showing roadway projects, including life-extending crack sealing, as well as sidewalk projects. The map allows users to find all 2023 infrastructure improvements and even enter addresses to find projects nearby. By clicking the project location on the map, users can learn more about the project scope and location. The map is available at tinyurl.com/ValpoInfra2023.
“We make decisions about roadway and sidewalk upgrades based on a variety of factors, including condition of the surface, traffic count, safety and cost effectiveness of a project,” said Rehlander. “With more than 170 lane miles of roadway and 200 miles of sidewalks, we do our best to make the best use of resources year over year. With the use of crack sealing and other road extending treatments, we work to maximize our dollars, maintain safe surfaces and manage the unavoidable disruption of roadway/sidewalk upgrades,” he said. To report a roadway or sidewalk that needs attention, visit the City of Valparaiso website at Valpo.us and locate the “Voice a Concern” section to submit an area for review.”