NEWS

Street work begins Tuesday on Maple Avenue

Gazette staff

CHILLICOTHE — You voted for the money to pay for it, and now city officials are making the much-anticipated street repairs happen.

Beginning Tuesday, you’ll start seeing contractors working on streets on the east side.

City Engineer Tom Day said contractors will begin preliminary work Tuesday on Maple Avenue, between Seventh and McKellar streets.

“Asphalt is very time-dependent, so we wanted to start with that to get a little bit of work done before the paving crews came in,” Day said.

The installation of curb ramps will be the first work done by contractor G&J Paving, of Chillicothe, and subcontractor Gillum Construction. Roadwork is normally preceded by the handicapped-accessible ramps, and about 270 of those will be installed during the project.

The curb ramps are put in for those in wheelchairs or with limited mobility but also for mothers pushing baby carriages, children using the sidewalks and those with sight impairments, as the ramps will include bumps to warn that an intersection is nearing.

“After we get some of the work done on the east side, we can move up to Hesswood Hills (subdivision) and begin our work there,” Day said.

In all, city officials have identified 31 locations across the city for the initial phase of the program.

The biggest factor to determine how much work will be done in 2015 is weather. If crews get good weather, they can get a lot more done, but if the fall is harsh, it could slow the process.

Regardless, Day is grateful for the residents’ support in the May levy request and is working to make sure the city follows through on its promise to repair and fix the streets.

Voters approved a 0.2 percent street levy in May, but the city can’t start collecting that money until 2016.

With that in mind, the city council in July also authorized borrowing $2 million to get the program up and running in advance.