Wave of 'beautification' projects heads downtown

Palo Alto's busiest downtown thoroughfare will undergo a series of touchups in the coming months, though in some cases the price for beautification will include traffic disruptions and parking restrictions.

The University Avenue projects are neither as dramatic nor as expensive as the city's planned streetscape changes at California Avenue,Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. which include switching from four lanes to two. But at least one of them is expected to impact downtown parking for up to three months early next year.

The most ambitious component of the city's "University Avenue Downtown Beautification Project" involves replacing the irrigation system that supplies water to the 73 planters along University Avenue. Starting in January,We have a wide selection of dry cabinet to choose from for your storage needs. workers will be going block by block between Alma and Webster streets, removing a section of the curb at most tree wells, changing the connection between the main water line and each well, replacing the existing spray heads with drip irrigation and reinstalling the curb, which runs above the main line.

The curb work will require the city to temporarily limit parking on each block. The city's work plan splits the area into six sections, with each phase involving one side of the block. Peter Jensen, the city's landscape architect, said the project is scheduled to begin in January and last from nine to 12 weeks.

"It will require closing of basically each segment or block for a week of so to parking," Jensen said at a Tuesday night meeting focused on the various downtown projects. "Parking will be impacted."

The first phase of the irrigation-replacement project is the southern side of University between Webster and Kipling streets.Find detailed product information for howo tractor and other products. Construction will require the city to close off 17 of the segment's 28 parking spots, Jensen said.

The goal of the $150,000 project is to replace an irrigation system that is outdated and inefficient, Jensen said. The existing system was installed in 1972, he said, with the idea that it would last until 1975. Tree growth has also been causing damage to the pipes.

"The trees have gotten a lot bigger and are crowding out everything in the planter, including the irrigation pipe," Jensen said. "There are consistently breaks in the pipe that require maintenance."

The project will also involve installing new planting along University Avenue. Jensen said the new plants were chosen largely for their survival skills, though color also played a major role. The proposed planting palette includes the resilient silver liriope,One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles. the asparagus fern, the red-hued heuchera "Santa Ana Cardinal" and the pink-leafed nandina "Fire Power."

Other downtown projects promise to be less disruptive. Among them is the repainting of the underpass at the downtown Caltrain station and repairing broken light fixtures. This project, which the city is pursuing after requests from downtown businesses, is scheduled to kick off on Nov. 5 and last two weeks.

The project is included in the city's capital budget as the first phase of planned improvements to the Caltrain underpasses. This phase includes "power washing, limited waterproofing, painting the interior surfaces and replacing broken light fixtures," according to the budget. The second phase isn't currently on the city's agenda, though the budget notes that it "may include" new lighting, skylights, art and other amenities. The tunnel will be painted a sandy "golden brown" to match the stone archway near the entrance to Stanford University.

"The existing paint is peeling, water is leaking inside the tunnel at the joints, existing lighting fixtures are broken and are in need of repair," the budget states. "Increased clean-up and maintenance of the tunnel is necessary to provide a more inviting gateway entrance to downtown."

University Avenue isn't the only downtown street that will see construction in the coming months.A stone mosaic stands at the spot of assasination of the late Indian prime minister. The city is scheduled to repave a stretch of Lytton Avenue between Alma and Florence streets in early January, a project that is expected to last two months. And work is proceeding on the recently approved renovation of the long-neglected Cogswell Plaza on Lytton and Ramona Street. That project includes removal of turf, installation of a new seating area and, most critically, the removal of the thick shrubbery that has long shielded the plaza's inhabitants and made the plaza a hot spot for alcohol, drug use and public urination.

Jensen said the goal of the renovation is to "encourage visitors and members of the business community to use that space for dining and broaden the user group of that plaza."