Hawthorne Road
Hawthorne Road Status Update
Staff will utilize this website to update the status of Hawthorne Road as new information is available. If you have an immediate maintenance concerns please contact the Department of Public Works at 262-236-2913.
STATUS:
10.28.2022
In keeping with the staged progression for completing the planned Option 4A improvements (Base Patch/Gravel Spot Replacement/with Drainage Improvements) for Hawthorne Road, DPW crews completed the limited tree removal required for the drainage improvements on Hawthorne Road in the spring of this year.
In addition to the tree removal, DPW coordinated and worked with a private contractor to crush the top +/-6” layer of large (3”) stone that was previously added to Hawthorne Road during the emergency repairs of 2019. The large stone was effective in repairing the road failure at the time but had rendered the surface ungradable since then because of the large stone. Now with the large stone reduced to 1” or less, the resulting gravel surface layer can be graded and maintained for traffic with the DPW road grader. The larger stone under this surface layer remains in place to provide stability for the base structure of Hawthorne Road.
The next step will be to complete the required drainage improvements including culvert replacement and ditching where needed. This work will likely take place in summer of 2023.
02.15.2022
The Hawthorne Road life cycle review meeting was held by the Common Council on May 12, 2020. Option 4A (Base Patch/Gravel Spot Replacement/with Drainage Improvements) from the Life Cycle Table under “Supporting Documents” section on the bottom of this page was chosen as the preferred option for improving Hawthorne Road.
Since the time of the life cycle review meeting, Hawthorne Road has held up very well and has only needed minimal work to smooth potholes in the gravel surface. The Department of Public Works will move forward with Option 4A, but will do so in stages over several years unless conditions warrant more immediate attention. The first stage to be completed is drainage improvements which includes culvert replacement and ditching where needed. There will be limited tree removal required for the drainage improvements on Hawthorne Road.
Tree removal required for drainage improvements is being combined with ash tree removal within the right-of-way in DPW’s continued response the emerald ash borer devastation. Ash tree removals are being combined with drainage improvement removals to make the most efficient use of our tree crews on Hawthorne Road. All trees marked for removal were reviewed by the City Forester to protect specimen trees, and every effort was made to minimize tree removal associated with the drainage improvement effort by designing minimally invasive ditching as directed by the Common Council.
After the drainage improvements are completed, the City will re-evaluate the gravel base and surface condition and determine the next stage of the process.
LIFE CYCLE PRESENTATION DELAYED TO MAY 12, 2020
04.06.2020
The April 14th, 2020 Common Council meeting will be hosted electronically, without in person attendance. While the Hawthorne Road life cycle review was scheduled for the April meeting, it will be delayed until May 12th to allow sufficient time for review and public input. The City did not feel that the new format would provide residents with sufficient time to review the information and provide public comment prior to the meeting.
Under the “Supporting Documents” section below, please find the Life Cycle Table, as generated by the consultant. The table defines the life expectancy of each of the options, as well as the construction and maintenance costs.
While the May meeting may also be hosted electronically, the City hopes that providing the information for review and public comment provide residents with sufficient time. If you have any comments that you would like presented to the Common Council at the May 12th meeting, please email klundeen@ci.mequon.wi.us by May 1st to have comments included in the packet. Comments received after that point will be presented at the meeting on May 12th.
03.11.2020
At its meeting last night, the Common Council reviewed the technical report, the information from the public information meeting, and discussed the range of options. Based upon the preliminary discussion, the consensus indicated the City will not pursue paving Hawthorne Road. However, the elected officials requested that the item be brought back to the April 14th meeting with two deliverables. First, a table of life cycle costs, so that the Common Council can consider both the short term and long term costs of the various options. And second, a map showing whether or not there is the potential to “meander” the road to provide improvements while minimizing the impact on adjacent trees.
Both of those deliverables will be posted to the website the week before the meeting, and also published in the meeting packet. Please check the website for that material prior to the meeting.
Residents may review the video from the meeting on the City’s website or on You Tube. Any residents wishing to add comments for consideration by the Common Council may submit to Kristen Lundeen at klundeen@ci.mequon.wi.us or 262-236-2938. Please note that comments must be submitted by April 3 to be included in packet publication.
03.02.2020
The Common Council is scheduled to hear a summary of the technical report and public information comments at its regular meeting on March 10th at 7:30pm. Meeting packets are generally generated on Thursdays. Once posted, it can be found on the agenda portion of the website. It will also be added to the References section below. The summary of input from the public information meeting is posted below under the Supporting Documents. At the meeting, staff is requesting that the Common Council provide direction on the next steps in the Hawthorne Road evaluation.
02.04.2020
The Public Information Meeting (PIM) is scheduled for Today Tuesday February 4th from 5pm-7pm, in the Christine Nuernberg Hall, Mequon City Hall 11333 N Cedarburg Road, 60W Mequon, WI 53092. The meeting will be an open house style, without a formal presentation. Both City Staff and the consultant will be there to answer any questions.
1.6.2020 Residents will soon receive notification of a Public Information Meeting to review and provide comment on the Hawthorne Road Technical Report. The Technical Report is available at the bottom of this page. After the Public Information Meeting, the Technical Report and summary of public comments will be presented to City Officials for consideration.
5.24.19
On Tuesday, May 14th, the Public Works Committee favorably recommended and the Common Council approved a contract for the Hawthorne Road Technical Report. The discussion at the Public Works Committee included a request that the Hawthorne Road residents be provided the opportunity to review and discuss the results of the report once available from the consultant. That meeting will take place later in the summer. Postcards will be sent to residents identifying where the report is available online, and when a meeting will be scheduled.
The contract includes both coring the existing gravel roadway and taking survey for the background information needed to make recommendations in the technical report. It is anticipated that both operations will begin after the holiday weekend, but should not cause a major disruption to traffic. Digger’s Hotline will be marking all of the utilities within the right-of-way, please do not disturb the flags until we have confirmed that the survey is complete.
05.01.19
Completing the emergency repair included grading and rolling the larger stone and topdressing with a smaller/finer stone to provide a smoother surface. The rough road desingation has been removed and Hawthorne Road is open to all normal traffic. Staff will continue to moniter the condition of Hawthorne Road, but does not plan any further work at this time.
Staff has also initiated data gathering including road coring and field survey. The data will be reviewed by a consulting engineer and summarized in a technical report with analysis and options for maintaining the road long term. The technical report will be presented to either the Public Works Committee or Committee of the Whole for consideration and discussion. Residents will be invited to attend.
04.22.19
The second phase of the emergency repair to Hawthorne Road is scheduled to begin Tuesday, April 23rd at 7:00 AM. DPW crews are doing preliminary work today such as removing small portions of some asphalt driveways within the right-of-way and repairing an area of roadbed where clay soil has pumped through the gravel in preparation for the contractor's work to begin tomorrow. The road will be closed to through traffic while this work is being done, but will remain open to local traffic. This repair is expected to take 2-3 days to complete.
04.15.19
The frost is out of Hawthorne Road and now the second phase of the emergency repair can be made as soon as the weather allows. Completing the emergency repair will include grading and rolling the larger stone and topdressing with a smaller/finer stone to provide a smoother surface. The City Department of Public Works crews will be working with a contractor the City has retained to complete this work as well as grading all of Hawthorne Road. We currently are on hold with this work due to the snowfall over the weekend and predicted rain this week, but the contractor and City crews are ready to begin as soon as conditions improve.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Hawthorne Road Technical Report were issued to consultants on Friday, April 12. The RFP is also available for public viewing and consultants on the RFP page of the City’s website. RFPs are due to the City no later than May 1, 2019. Depending on the dollar value of the contract, the proposal will either be approved at a staff level, or approved at the Public Works Committee and Common Council meetings on May 14, 2019.
04.8.19
Tree removal efforts should be complete by Tuesday of this week. DPW crews will then address a remaining soft spot in the roadway, removing the existing material and replacing with large stone at a depth greater than that of the emergency repair. DPW crews will also address several driveways that need to be cut in conjunction with the completion of the emergency repair. Residents were notified if their driveway will be affected.
Last week DPW staff met with three contractors to discuss the completion of the emergency repair. DPW staff secured an available contractor, who can be on site once notified. Unfortunately the weather forecast for the end of this week predicts snow/rain that would complicate the grading/rolling operation. DPW staff is also concerned that the wet base would rut under the weight of the trucks carrying the topdressing material.
DPW staff will continue to monitor the weather and call the contractor when appropriate. It is anticipated that the completion of the emergency repair will take 2-3 days. Signs will be posted on the roadway at that time. While the operation is ongoing, local and emergency access will be maintained.
Further updates will be provided once the weather passes and the completion of the emergency repair is authorized.
04.2.19
As previously noticed to affected property owners, removal of ash trees will begin in accordance with the City's EAB policy. Tree Removal is intended to be complete while the road is hard, prior to completing the emergency repair.
03.21.19
Payne and Dolan equipment removed from the area.
03.18.19
Hawthorne Road upgraded to Rough Road status. Weight limit remains in effect.
03.15.19
Payne and Dolan Department of Public Works staff continued to install large 3-inch stone to make the road passable. Road closure remained in place.
03.14.19
Hawthorne Road closed after reports of numerous vehicles stuck in the soft surface. Department of Public Works staff contracted with Payne and Dolan and both staffs began hauling 3-inch stone to add strength to the road and make it passable. Department of Public Works staff was in constant contact with the Police Department on the status of the road.
REFERENCES
March 10, 2020 Common Council Agenda+Packet
March 29, 2019 Resident Letter
Public Works Packet from November 13, 2018
Public Works Meeting Minutes from November 13, 2018
Supporting Documents
Plan Hawthorne Shift Page 1 (2 MB) Plan Hawthorne Shift Page 2 (2 MB) Hawthorne Road Life Cycle Table (135 KB) October 4, 2018 Resident Letter (198 KB) March 29, 2019 Resident Letter (212 KB) Hawthorne Road PIM Comments (128 KB) 