Nassau Street SE Reconstruction Saves Historic Trees

City engineers finished reconstructing Nassau Street SE between Blake Boulevard SE and Linden Drive SE ahead of schedule by reversing the typical sidewalk placement to protect mature trees threatened by construction.

The project addressed deteriorating pavement, missing stormwater management, incomplete sidewalks that forced pedestrians into traffic, and absent ADA ramps. The street near Brucemore is lined with historic homes.

Standard sidewalk placement would have damaged tree root systems. Instead, engineers placed the new sidewalk where the old road had been and realigned the roadway, keeping trees outside the dripline—the ground area beneath branches.

"Since these trees were adapted to having the weight of a roadway on top of the roots, we decided to place the sidewalk where the road had been," said Rebecca Lesnik, project manager. "We have given those trees the best chance possible."

The alley-garage layout common in the older neighborhood meant fewer driveway access points to modify, allowing contractors to finish faster than expected. Residents received new driveway aprons to match the changed pavement elevation.

The Paving for Progress program, funded by a local option sales tax voters approved in 2014, paid for the project. The program has invested more than $260 million into repairing over 131 miles of local streets.

The city selects streets for repair using a 10-year management plan based on pavement condition data collected every two years.