Greenroads Certified Bronze

Bellingham Raingardens: East Magnolia Street

 

Summary

The project upgrades East Magnolia Street in the downtown business district with stormwater quality upgrades and selected pedestrian and bicycle improvements. Improvements include native greenspace and pedestrian amenities.

Owner: City of Bellingham, WA

Design: City of Bellingham, WA

Landscaping: SvR Design Company

Contractor: Stremler Gravel

Cost: $336,076 (allocated for this street segment from the final project cost of $955,717)

Improved Area: 4 intersections (16 corners)

Length: 0.25 mi

 

Description

The City of Bellingham installed 16 raingardens (bioretention facilities) on East Magnolia Street right in the center of downtown Bellingham, and upgraded pedestrian and bicycle safety and accessibility with sidewalk replacements at several crossings. East Magnolia Street is a part of a one-way couple with another project in the Bellingham Raingardens Certification Program, East Champion Street.

Over the next 20 years, the Project will:

  • Treat and control water from almost 34 acres of the downtown business district
  • Treat and control more than 4.2 million gallons of water from more than 14 acres of previously untreated pollution generating surfaces
  • Remove more than 6,900 lbs of total suspended solids (TSS).

As a small street improvements project with an overall budget of less than $1 million, 95% of East Magnolia Street remained in place and was preserved as-is with street repairs of 4,800 square feet localized only around the work areas. The City demonstrated that the pavements were in serviceable condition without expected need for maintenance within the next 5 years according to their asset management program. The high number of bioretention facilities on this project helped increase the overall vegetated area by more than 25% from previous conditions on the street, and reduced the total impervious surface in the corridor by more than 5%. 

Overall, the entire CBD Raingardens program boasts an average recycled content of more than 31.2% by weight. Recycled content was verified in the concrete sidewalk, curb and gutter and inlet splash block materials. The City made this happen by specifying in the contract that 50% recycled content by weight was allowed for aggregate replacement in the sidewalk materials and bioretention facilities and allowed up to 20% recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in the pavement materials.

For an example copy of the specifications, please contact the City of Bellingham Public Works. Read more about this project here.

 

E Magnolia Street at Forest

Raingarden bulb out at E Magnolia St and Forest

We like this little polite pedestrian.

Raingarden curb detail at E Magnolia St

E Magnolia Street at Forest Wideangle

E Magnolia St has many shapes and sizes of raingardens.

This raingarden bulb out helps improve safety for walkers, and cyclists too.