Davenport (IA) to Complete New $10.7M Fire Station No. 3 in November

Sarah Watson
Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus, Ill.
(TNS)

Mar. 24—It’s orange cone season in Davenport.

Several major construction projects are getting underway as the weather warms this spring, including the completion of 53rd Street, Fire Station No. 3, and the start of a $20 million Duck Creek sewer line project.

With an infusion of federal American Rescue Plan dollars and other grants, Davenport residents will see an unusually high number of construction projects completed in the next few years, city officials said.

“Not just the quantity, but the large-scale nature of it (construction projects),” said Assistant Public Works Director Clay Merritt. “I can speak to my time in nine years coming on 10, we’ve only had maybe three $9 million-plus projects. This summer, we’re probably going to have three or four happening at the same time.”

City officials are urging residents to be patient and drive carefully around the city’s numerous road, sewer, parks, facilities, and trail work.

“There’s a lot of construction occurring so, once again, asking the public, please be patient as we work through this,” Merritt said. “We think everyone will be extremely happy with the end result and the new improvements in the amenities and the infrastructure that we’re building. We just need to take the time to get there.”

Fire station to wrap up construction this year

Motorists on North Brady Street or Welcome Way and 42nd Street have likely seen the towers and framing that will become a new Davenport fire station.

The $10.7 million building will replace Fire Station No. 3, a more than 60-year-old building at 3506 N. Harrison Street. The new location allows for easier access to both north- and south-bound one-ways, which city officials have said will reduce response times.

The building also includes a 60-person community room, larger space for fire apparatus, and airlock vestibules to keep chemicals out of community areas.

Merritt estimated construction will be completed by November of this year.

“Almost every single week, you’re seeing a different change, a different look,” he said. “Thankfully, we had a fairly mild winter, at least from a construction standpoint, and so we’ve been able to proceed pretty much throughout the entirety of the winter on that construction.”

East 53rd Street also to be completed

Construction crews are expected to wrap up the final phases of one of Davenport’s busiest thoroughfares, Merritt said.

The final 0.8 miles from From Lorton Avenue to Eastern Avenue will be reconstructed and widened this year, with a recreational trail added too.

Motorists will begin seeing lane reductions on Monday as construction closes two lanes between Eastern Avenue and Jersey Ridge Road. Side streets to the south will also be closed intermittently, according to the city.

By the end of the year, drivers will see the final product of the years-long construction.

The $16.2 million 53rd Street reconstruction project is a four-year, two-phase, multi-segment project that completely reconstructed the four-lane roadway between Brady Street and Elmore Circle. Part of the funding came from federal grants.

Federal COVID-19 relief funds projects

The city plans to extend a sewer line west of Davenport, following Duck Creek from about North Division Street past I-280. The bulk of the $20 million multi-year project is being paid for by some of the city’s $40.94 million allocation from the federal American Rescue Plan signed by President Joe Biden into law in March 2021.

Also, improvements to the downtown storm sewer system that Davenport has on the docket this year is expected to keep E. River Drive open at higher flood stages at the intersections of 3rd and 4th Streets.

Currently, that area of River Drive closes at a flood stage of about 17.5 feet because of water that surges up through the storm sewer. With the $4 million improvements, it could stay open until about 22 feet.

In another ARPA-funded project, Merritt said, construction bids for a new Fairmount Community Center have come back, and city staff will bring those to council in the next few weeks.

On Wednesday, aldermen approved a $3 million sewer replacement at Tremont Avenue, which will replace aging infrastructure.

See what else Davenport has planned for city street construction in 2023

The city plans to contract for the reconstruction or resurfacing of 29 arterial and neighborhood streets in the 2023 construction season. Another 20 streets will be resurfaced using the city’s in-house resources.

— Reconstructing West Locust Street between North Marquette and North Division streets.

— West Central Park Avenue and Hickory Grove Road intersection improvements

— East Central Park Avenue resurfacing from North Brady Street to Pershing Avenue, as well as the intersection of Farnam Street and East Central Park Avenue.

— Eastern Avenue and East Locust Street intersection improvements

— Clark Street reconstruction between 11th and 13th Streets

— North Clark Street reconstruction between West 11th and West 13th streets

— West 36th Street reconstruction between North Division and Pacific streets

— Mound Street reconstruction between East Locust and Elm streets

— Waverly Road reconstruction between Lincoln to about Schuetzen Lane

City urges motorists to drive carefully around projects

City officials say they see drivers ignore construction closures and drive into wet cement 2-4 times a year.

Assistant Public Works Director Clay Merritt urged residents to drive carefully around construction projects and be mindful of workers and lane closures.

“We think everyone will be extremely happy with the end result.”

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