Beautification of Cleveland's 25th Street underway

Earth-moving equipment smooths out a layer of sand in the 25th Street median as part of a beautification efforts that stretch between the intersection of Keith Street and Exit 25 on I-75. When complete, the median will serves as rain garden for hardy crepe myrtles, said Dan Hartman, urban forester for city of Cleveland.
Earth-moving equipment smooths out a layer of sand in the 25th Street median as part of a beautification efforts that stretch between the intersection of Keith Street and Exit 25 on I-75. When complete, the median will serves as rain garden for hardy crepe myrtles, said Dan Hartman, urban forester for city of Cleveland.

CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The second phase of a 25th Street median makeover that will replace grass with a kind of rain garden is underway.

"The median will be layered with sand and gravel, like a French drain," said Tommy Myers, director of Cleveland's public works department. River stones will cover the surface.

The current project area, which is part of the State Route 60 corridor, stretches between the intersection of Peerless Road and Exit 20 at Interstate 75, Myers said. Work is expected to be completed by late April, he said.

Work crews, earthmoving equipment and trucks have been overhauling the median as far west as Vista Drive since January, between bouts of inclement weather.

Myers said the roadway rain garden, which will incorporate crepe myrtles, will have some slowdown effect on stormwater.

The project was funded through a $150,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation, he said. It provided $120,000 in state funding and required a $30,000 match by the city.

The second phase of a comprehensive 25th Street median makeover has been awhile in the making. The first phase of the beautification project, which stretched between the intersections of Peerless Road and Keith Street, was completed in the summer heat of 2011.

"This phase of the project is pretty much the same as the first phase," said Dan Hartman, urban forester for the city of Cleveland.

Hartman has described the revamped median as "a modified rain garden."

A normal rain garden is built to retain water, but the median also must be able to drain water to prevent street flooding, he said.

The first-phase area serves as home to a number of hardy shrubs, trees and perennial plants.

A decision has been made not to include knockout roses with the crepe myrtles in the second phase of the project, as was done in the first phase, he said.

Hartman said a disease has taken its toll on the knockout roses planted between Peerless Road and Keith Street.

Incorporating those plants in the new phase, just to lose them to disease, would be a waste of resources and effort, he said.

The third -- and final -- phase of the 25th Street median beautification project will encompass the area between the intersections of Keith Street and Spring Creek Crossing, Hartman said.

No date has been set for the last phase of the median makeover, he said.

Paul Leach is based inCleveland. Email him atpaul.leach.press@gmail.com.

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