(July 27, 2017) The Berlin Town Council on Monday unanimously agreed to spend $90,000 more to repave West Street, opting for a more expensive approach designed to last longer and get better results, town officials said.
Construction on West Street paused last month to allow work already done there to settle. Town Administrator Laura Allen said unexpected issues with utilities had been one problem, while additional concerns involved some “interesting mixtures of cement and asphalt under the road.”
On Monday, Mayor Gee Williams said the town was at the point where the actual paving could be done.
Three paving options were presented, costing roughly $66,000, $70,000 and $90,000, respectively. The town opted for the most expensive route because it was the most comprehensive.
“The issue with paving was pretty complicated because we had cement down the center of the road, and as water resources and the contractor were working to change and replace the water and sewer connections, they were cutting into the asphalt and the concrete,” Allen said.
“It was a challenge … to come up with an approach for the final paving of the project that would work, given the challenges of keeping the asphalt stable given the fact the cement is much more solid.”
She said the utility work settled and a base coat of paving was applied on Monday. A layer of paving fabric designed to keep the road flat and smooth will be put down next, and that will eventually be paved over.
“We think that this recommendation has the highest chance for long-term life expectancy of the road and it should result in a nice finished, final product so that the folks that live there will be able to drive on the road and it will be nice and smooth for a long period of time,” Allen said.
The town successfully used a similar approach when repaving Jefferson Street several years ago.
“Short of a very, very expensive option of removing all the concrete in the road, this is … the best approach for a very aesthetic and longevity project,” Darl Kolar from EA Engineering, Science and Technology. Inc. said.
He said the work was estimated to finish within two-to-three weeks.
The total cost of the project is about $426,000.
Construction on West Street paused last month to allow work already done there to settle. Town Administrator Laura Allen said unexpected issues with utilities had been one problem, while additional concerns involved some “interesting mixtures of cement and asphalt under the road.”
On Monday, Mayor Gee Williams said the town was at the point where the actual paving could be done.
Three paving options were presented, costing roughly $66,000, $70,000 and $90,000, respectively. The town opted for the most expensive route because it was the most comprehensive.
“The issue with paving was pretty complicated because we had cement down the center of the road, and as water resources and the contractor were working to change and replace the water and sewer connections, they were cutting into the asphalt and the concrete,” Allen said.
“It was a challenge … to come up with an approach for the final paving of the project that would work, given the challenges of keeping the asphalt stable given the fact the cement is much more solid.”
She said the utility work settled and a base coat of paving was applied on Monday. A layer of paving fabric designed to keep the road flat and smooth will be put down next, and that will eventually be paved over.
“We think that this recommendation has the highest chance for long-term life expectancy of the road and it should result in a nice finished, final product so that the folks that live there will be able to drive on the road and it will be nice and smooth for a long period of time,” Allen said.
The town successfully used a similar approach when repaving Jefferson Street several years ago.
“Short of a very, very expensive option of removing all the concrete in the road, this is … the best approach for a very aesthetic and longevity project,” Darl Kolar from EA Engineering, Science and Technology. Inc. said.
He said the work was estimated to finish within two-to-three weeks.
The total cost of the project is about $426,000.