12th Street Storm Drain Outfall

Phase one of the 12th Street Storm Drain Outfall is nearly complete. The original scope of work has wrapped up, and teams are finalizing the installation of some additional items, like educational and safety signage. Work on these final pieces will continue through the end of the year.

Stay tuned as time goes on; the area will green up as the landscaping matures. In the meantime, the team continues to work through design for phases two through four. We expect phase two construction to begin in 2025.

If you recently attended Greeley Recreation's downtown Touch-a-Truck and Car Show event, you may have seen members of our 12th Street Outfall Outreach team under the City of Greeley tent. Brian Fischer, Monique Perez, and Jackie Michaelsen set up shop to discuss the next phase of 12th Street construction as we continue to build an improved storm drainage system in Greeley.

Phase two through four design is currently underway. Once constructed, this project will extend the new 12th Street storm drain system along 12th Street from 2nd Avenue to 8th Avenue. Construction of phase two is expected to begin in 2025.

Construction along 12th Street will include removal of all asphalt, curb and gutter, and sidewalk to install a substantial storm drain from curb to curb. After, crews will complete street upgrades between the railroad and 8th Avenue include 8ft sidewalks and curb and gutter along both sides of the street, and a revised turnaround for vehicles on the west side of the railroad tracks. Roadway upgrades will also be completed along 7th Avenue between 12th Street and 13th Street. These improvements will consist of a 6ft sidewalk and new curb and gutter along both sides of the street.

In this Inside Greeley segment, civil engineer Rock Labossiere offers a primer on the entire storm drainage project: why its needed, how long it will take to complete, and what phase of completion the city is in as of spring 2024.

12th Street Outfall Phase 1 has progressed significantly since the beginning of construction. ICON engineering has periodically collected drone imagery and video during this time frame.

Check out the progress of this significant project through the lens of a drone!

The first phase of this project is located in the vicinity of 10th and 12th Streets, 2nd Avenue and US 85. Image below show the proposed storm drain system as it discharges into a proposed water quality pond and ultimately into the Poudre River.

Phase 1 Overview

The map describes the impacts on parking from Phase 1 construction from the end of May 2023 to the end of June 2023.

Design for Phases 2 through 4 is currently underway. Phases 2 through 4 will extend the 12^th Street storm drain system along 12^th Street from 2^nd Avenue to 8^th Avenue. Storm drain systems are built beginning with the “downstream” end, the outfall at the river, and moving “upstream,” increasing the system’s capacity to capture stormwater in phases. The storm drainage system will reduce flooding in the area while providing a discharge location for future storm drains further “upstream.”

The project will also reconfigure the existing roadway section along 12^th Street from 2^nd Avenue to 8^th Avenue. Additionally, the improvements will provide stormwater quality before the stormwater discharges into the Poudre River.

Phase 1 contains a water-quality pond and swale, along with an underground water-quality vault. These project components will treat the stormwater prior to discharging it into the Poudre River. Phases 2 through 4 will continue to look at additional methods to treat the stormwater before it reaches the river.

Keeping our natural waterways clean is a growing challenge in the 21st century. Stormwater runoff has a significant impact on water quality in our rivers and streams. When rain and snowfall on impermeable surfaces, the runoff can carry road salt, oil, grease, chemicals and debris from these surfaces into our waterways.

Stormwater quality features can capture the storm runoff before it reaches a natural waterway. These water quality features allow the stormwater to better infiltrate into the ground and use vegetation to provide more resiliency after a large storm event.

Treating stormwater prior to discharging into the Poudre River will keep our river healthy.