Portions of the Old Town Newhall Streetscape project (phase 1) are nearing completion with several of the features finished. In the picture above you can see how the sidewalks and landscaping fit in with existing facades and how the brickwork interacts with existing Walk of Western Stars saddles. The bronze saddles had to be removed to facilitate construction, but a great deal of care was taken to put them back in their original locations.
All of the pictures included in this post were taken today.
The brickwork on the sidewalks go all the way up to the entryways of existing businesses.
The picture above shows some of the wood planking used in the Streetscape design. The wood, called Ipe, is from South America and is extremely dense. In fact, according to the construction manager, the wood has the same hardness rating as concrete.
Above is a section of crosswalk. Prior to the Streetscape, the street dipped down for runoff which caused many vehicles, including some City transit buses, to bottom-out. The drainage problem was fixed with Streetscape improvements eliminating the need for crosswalk gutters and allowing for a smoother flow of traffic. Additionally, the cross-shaped groves on the right side of the picture allow for the placement of bollards, which can be used for temporary street closures during events. The bollards, in-effect, turn the street into a cul de sac.
Pictured is a Sycamore
Medium sized street trees are also an enhancement to the project. The trees that used to be located along Main Street were not approved street trees and caused problems with roots displacing areas of sidewalk. In many cases the trees are surrounded with boulders for landscaping. Benches will also be part of the design.
Pictured above is one of the boulders, that will be used in the landscaping design, being moved down the street. The boulders were hand picked from a local quarry for smoothness and to fit in with existing improvements. This phase of construction for the Streetscape in Old Town Newhall will be cleaned up and ready for the 4th of July Parade, which will begin on Main Street.
