HP Town Council Discusses Wycliffe Avenue Reconstruction Project

The Highland Park Town Council is considering plans for reconstructing a portion of Wycliffe Avenue to prevent roadway flooding.

The town intends to turn the section of roadway that crosses Turtle Creek and serves as a dam into a bridge. It plans to reconstruct the dam under the bridge as a weir, a step-down structure designed to control the flow of water. 

The project’s design and construction — including additional roadway work, landscaping, and utility relocation — is estimated to cost just under $21.4 million. Because of outside funding support for the project, the town will pay about $6.1 million, according to slides reviewed by the council.

Construction is scheduled to occur between May 2025 and May 2027. After the project’s completion, water will no longer flood the roadway except in the case of a “beyond 100-year event,” director of engineering Lori Chapin said.

During a Sept. 17 study session, the council heard a project overview, discussed ways to minimize cost, and gave input on landscaping and aesthetic improvements. Members asked about the appearance of the dam, the best way to prevent access by the homeless, and how to deter children who might want to play or skateboard in the dam.

“You want it to look nice,” council member Alan Friedman said, “but you don’t want it to be an inviting place for extracurricular activities.”

Also at the Sept. 17 town council meeting and work session, the council approved a $287,343.61 replacement of the town’s network infrastructure, the backbone of multiple forms of communication services for all town locations.

The network infrastructure equipment was originally installed in 2011. It has reached the end of its life, and several core pieces of existing equipment are being sun-setted by their manufacturer, which will no longer offer maintenance and support services, information services manager Shone Doville told the council.