City greenlights Pinhook Creek park transformation downtown
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Lambert Contracting will work to restore Pinhook Creek downtown, set for a linear park with greenways. Photo: Derek Lacey/Axios
The "skybridge" part of an ambitious project underway in Huntsville may grab headlines, but a contract recently approved by City Council could have just as big an impact downtown.
Why it matters: Essentially a stream restoration project for a prominent stretch of Pinhook Creek downtown, the contract is the first step in transforming it into a 13-acre linear park and greenway.
Zoom in: The project runs from Holmes Avenue south to US 231. In that stretch, the creek flows under Clinton Avenue, near the under-construction Front Row Huntsville and alongside the Von Braun Center.
- Instead of the existing, mostly concrete waterway, city leaders envision a grass- and tree-lined stream meandering beside concrete sidewalks, benches and landscaping.
How it works: To accomplish that, the city will remove about half of its Lot K, the parking lot at 614 Clinton Ave., city engineer Kathy Martin told Axios.
- The main channel of the stream will be walled on the east side with 15- to 20-foot walls, she said, and widened on the west side to create a "benched-out area," adding capacity for flood mitigation.
- On each level on the western side — close to the water and higher up out of the floodplain — will be a greenway, she said.
What they're saying: "The city's really been working on this project with the [U.S. Army] Corps of Engineers for over 20 years," Martin said. "It's definitely an important moment to finally start work on the site."
- The city also widened bridges over the creek on Clinton and Holmes about 10 years ago, in preparation for this project, she said.
By the numbers: Of the total contract amount, $20 million comes from a federal RAISE grant, and the remaining $92,195 from the city's capital plan dollars, said Shane Davis, director of economic and urban development, at last week's council meeting.
Context: The contract spans two years, Martin said, after which the project will turn its focus to replacing the nearby railroad bridge by Heart of Huntsville Drive, and then work on the project's "skybridge."
- Once those are underway, the city will bid out the finishing work for Pinhook Creek: the sidewalks, benches, landscaping, etc.