Project: Walnut Drive Stormwater Improvement Project
Total Investment: estimated at
$1.5 million
Funding: American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation to City of Belle Meade and local tax dollars
Description: Walnut Drive is a residential street of roughly one acre of impervious area. The project intends to improve the overall stormwater drainage system by capturing runoff and detaining it under the road surface. Permeable pavers will be used the entire length of Walnut Drive and in the intersection of Walnut Drive and Abbott Martin Road. Construction of on-street parking areas in the right-of-way will expand surface area for drainage. Intentional care has been taken to minimize utility conflicts and to preserve existing trees, mailboxes, and other improvements along existing right-of-way.
PROJECT MILESTONES:
Walnut Drive Community Meeting
Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at Belle Meade City Hall
At this meeting, the City’s Consulting Engineers presented conceptual design plans (also referred to as 30% plans) for review and comment; also provided renderings of the final improvements and discussed the PaveDrain product being recommended for the permeable pavers on this project
January 11, 2023 a preliminary design discussion was held with city staff, engineers from CEC and some residents of Walnut Drive meeting together to discuss drainage concerns and experiences, including the development of a sinkhole in the Walnut Drive subdivision.
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Late 2022 Civil Engineers studied Lillywood Drive to gather information and delineate watersheds to determine the impact of drainage from Lillywood onto Walnut Drive. It was determined that Lillywood Drive makes up about 1% of the area that drains to the low point of Walnut Drive. Engineers recommended it would be more beneficial to focus the stormwater improvements along Walnut Drive and suggested consideration of whether a raingarden or other more natural enhancement, such as lot-line swales, could be considered by residents to help divert some additional yard runoff along Lillywood.
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Survey and Field Work Conducted in Summer and Fall 2022