Retracting bollards, new irrigation and tree work ties up Eighth Street

Eighth Street is getting a spring makeover before the Capital City Development Corp. hands over ownership of its two-block stretch of the downtown event street to the city of Boise.

CCDC is focusing on the furnishings area between the sidewalks and street, where it is replacing some trees and installing new irrigation and tree grate systems. The $617,884 project will also replace the 30-year-old lamp posts with new historic-themed lamp posts, said Doug Woodruff, CCDC project manager for capital improvements.

Another new feature will be hydraulic bollards at the end of each block to replace temporary bollards that have been used to block traffic. The new bollards will retract into the ground and can be raised to block traffic during, for example, the Capital City Public Market.

The last of the Norway maple grove trees that have been in place for 30 years will be removed on the Main-to- Bannock stretch of Eighth Street. About three-fourths of the trees now are honey locusts, which have been installed over the past five years.

Woodruff said the Norway maples were not suitable for downtown, and the city Community Forestry division has lobbied to replace them for years.

CCDC gained ownership of Eighth Street between Main and Bannock Streets in 1987 as an early implementation of the Boise Downtown Urban Design Plan, the 1986 template for the modern downtown Boise.

CCDC’s Central District urban renewal zone, which includes Eight Street, expires in September.

Eighth Street work started Feb. 26 and completion is expected June 15. Guho Corp. is the general contractor.