The Lexington Avenue Sidewalk Improvements Project is now in motion

The Lexington Avenue Sidewalk Improvements project is officially underway with the posting of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from qualified design teams on the City of Asheville Bid Opportunities page. 

Project goal 
The goal of the Lexington Avenue Sidewalk Improvements project is to improve access and mobility with a full restoration of the sidewalk on both sides of the street on the northern section of Lexington Avenue between Walnut Street and Woodfin Street/Hiawassee Street. Improving pedestrian safety, accessibility, and overall experience on this section of Lexington Avenue is expected to positively impact local businesses and reduce maintenance needs.

To achieve the project goals, project elements will include:

• Replace the sidewalk with material that is compliant with Americans with Disability Act (ADA) regulations. The material will be as similar in look and feel to the current brick sidewalk as feasible.

• Address other areas of ADA non-compliance, such as driveway cuts and curb ramps.

• Preserve street trees where possible and replace street trees where preservation is not possible.

• Modify curb alignment at intersections and crosswalks in compliance with Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG).
   

Public input
The project team is committed to consulting the community and impacted stakeholders for input as well as to providing timely updates throughout the project duration. Public input will be taken into account along with other project components including the budget, local codes and ordinances, as well as goals and intended outcomes. 

Leading up to the RFQ posting, the City of Asheville was able to prioritize this project as part of the 2024 General Obligation Bond Referendum, thanks in part to outreach from the community. Early conversations with stakeholders helped to guide the following elements of scope:

• The inaccessibility of the current sidewalks is a safety concern and has an overall negative impact; these conditions need to be addressed.

• To the extent possible, the project should support preservation of the following:

  • Overall character of the street

  • Brick pavers

  • Existing trees

These priorities are reflected in the RFQ and will be communicated to the selected design team, along with other project needs and limitations. As for next steps, the City of Asheville anticipates collaborating with the selected design team to incorporate stakeholder involvement at the onset of the Design Phase. More details will be provided later this year.

Timeline + how to receive future updates
A web page for the Lexington Sidewalk Improvements project is now live, and we invite anyone who is interested in receiving updates to sign up using the subscriber form at the top-right section of the page.

Anticipated project timeline:

• Advertise and select design team: June - August 2025

• Design Phase: Mid 2025 - Early 2026

• Construction: Anticipated to start in 2026 (more specific timeline will be determined later)

The project team is appreciative of your continued engagement and encourages you to share this message with any contacts who may be interested. 

Questions?

Contact us by replying to this email or by reaching out to the Project Manager, Susannah Horton, at shorton@ashevillenc.gov.

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