Avenue D sidewalk project nearly completed

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

The construction signs and traffic changes which have been part of the Avenue D downtown sidewalk and drainage project since January will soon be a thing of the past. 
“The project is wrapping up this week with some cleanup and barricade/sign removal,” said Kevin Keller, public information officer for the City of Copperas Cove. “Oncor will be in within the next couple of weeks to install the lighting.”
There are mountings along the Avenue D sidewalks where the lighting will be installed. There are now park benches, eight in total, along with trash cans, along the three-block length of newly installed sidewalk
Landscaping was not included in this particular project, Keller said. However, he did say the city may eventually add some xeriscaping in the future. 
Some drivers have found the turning area to be snug when making right turns from the northbound lanes at the South 1st Street and Main Streets intersections in order to head east on Avenue D. 
This has especially been the case for those who drive trucks and other longer vehicles, which end up sometimes driving up on the curb of the now-extended sidewalk in order to keep from hitting westbound vehicles stopped at those lights. 
Keller said that the lanes of traffic, according to TxDOT requirements are 10 feet wide from curb line to center line. 
“All of the reconstructed lanes meet and exceed this requirement,” said Keller. 
Avenue D, as part of the Texas Department of Transportation’s roadway system, falls under those state specifications and lane requirements.
Avenue D has narrowed between the South 3rd Street and South 1st Street intersections, and has decreased to one eastbound lane from South Main Street to South 2nd Street with the addi tion of parallel parking places in front of Ledger Furniture.
The loss of one lane was a part of the design approved by the Copperas Cove city council last year, with TxDOT also accepting and approving the project. 
The entire project was designed by BSP Engineers, and accepted by both the City Council and TXDOT.
The nearly $1,000,000 of project funding came from four sources, the majority from the Texas Department of Transportation in the amount of $700,479, a combination of Category-9, Category-7, and Category-3 grant funding. The City of Copperas Cove spent $227,252 of tax-supported funds on the project, with the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation contributing $82,361.90 and $67,535 coming from the city’s drainage fund.