16th Ave SE Extension, 4th St SE to 5th St SE

CLIENT: City of Cedar Rapids

SUMMARY: Located in the New Bohemia District, this project extended 16th Avenue SE to 5th Street SE, ending in a three-legged roundabout at the intersection of 16th Avenue and 5th Street, in front of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church. The roundabout includes pedestrian accommodations, streetscaping, landscaping, and lighting improvements. The extension of the roadway serves motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians, offers improved lighting and aesthetics, and opens additional opportunities for new residential and commercial growth.

Efforts were made to blend the project’s streetscaping aesthetics to complement the neighboring historic Czech Village District and incorporate historic elements. The project includes historic brick pavers that were installed in the early 1900s, which were recovered and incorporated into the project as a highlight and reminder of the City’s history. Today, visitors can view the bricks – stamped with the manufacturer’s name – in the crosswalk medians on 16th Avenue and 5th Street.

The project involved extensive coordination among various public and private entities, including the City of Cedar Rapids, the historic St. Wenceslaus Church, and business district leaders. Having been years in the making, the completion of this project was highly anticipated by the public and by stakeholders, providing a bridge between two distinct and thriving cultural districts. The completed roadway connection encourages future development and has been positively received by the community.

Construction of the roundabout was substantially completed in the summer of 2018. The engineer’s estimate was $1.54 million, while the awarded bid amount was $1.23 million.