Hamlet of Brewerton Streetscape Improvements

The Brewerton streetscape project included engineering and construction phase services to assist the Town of Cicero in revitalizing the Hamlet of Brewerton. The design was funded under a NYSDOS grant, and the construction was supported by the NYSDOT LAFA program. Despite being only 0.2 miles long, the project faced unique challenges to achieve the desired look and feel envisioned by the Town and Hamlet.

Initially, the streetscape project was only for new curbing, sidewalk, and minor drainage improvements through the corridor. However, a detailed survey and analysis revealed that installing new curbing and sidewalk at the existing pavement elevations would cause significant drainage problems to the storefronts along Route 11. This necessitated lowering the road by approximately 3.5 inches. After consulting with NYSDOT, it was agreed that full-width paving could be included in the project. Pavement cores revealed that the existing concrete base course had become unbonded with the asphalt, requiring all asphalt to be milled off down to the concrete, approximately 8 inches. Some locations required a reduced curb reveal of 5 inches due to the flat grades and the need to maintain positive drainage at building fronts. During construction, it was discovered that the concrete base course did not extend the full width, requiring the team to pivot. Ultimately, the decision was made to fully reconstruct the shoulder/parking area to match the concrete base course and allow traffic to be maintained during construction. Coordination with NYSDOT was also necessary for the adjacent bridge replacement of Route 11 over the Oneida River/Barge Canal.

Aesthetic features of the Brewerton streetscape project included new curb and sidewalk along with full-width paving, which allowed for new striping along Route 11. This included red thermoplastic “brick” crosswalks with flush bump-outs and delineated on-street parking stalls. Additionally, red brick paver snow storage was installed to match the thermoplastic crosswalks. The corridor was further enhanced with 21 LED decorative light poles and 15 street trees provided within the snow storage area.