John Street sidewalk repaired
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on February 21, 2016 1:45 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Repairs worth $24,200 began Wednesday on a small section of sidewalk on John Street in front of Torero's Family Mexican Restaurant and The Yoga Connection in downtown Goldsboro.
Repairs began Wednesday morning on a section of sidewalk on John Street that runs in front of Torero's Family Mexican Restaurant and The Yoga Connection.
Access to the businesses will remain open for employees and patrons, but barricades and traffic cones were set up around the section of sidewalk around 9 a.m. Wednesday to mark the area being worked on.
"Torero's employees and people eating there will still have access to the restaurant, it's just the outside seating that will be disturbed," said City Engineer Marty Anderson.
The pedestrian alleyway that runs between the two businesses has been entirely closed off, with the outside seating for Torero's being stored in the alley.
Barricades in the area stop where the outdoor fence surrounding Jay's Sushi and Burger Bar begins.
The work is expected to take three weeks, and the alley will remain closed during that time, Anderson said.
The sidewalk will be getting a fresh coat of concrete, and the meter boxes that measure water usage will be moved closer to the building to prevent them from continuing to be an obstacle that pedestrians trip over.
These meter boxes currently pose a tripping hazard because they all sit at different heights on an uneven sidewalk.
"It's all broken to pieces and is patched here and there and they've (the businesses) been wanting to get it done, so that's primarily why we're doing it," Anderson said.
Keen Plumbing Co. is doing the work on the sidewalk area, and Anderson said the city has communicated to the company that the work must be done before Goldsboro hosts the North Carolina Main Street Conference from March 16 to March 18.
The entrance to the alleyway between the buildings currently has a driveway ramp, but that will be replaced with a handicap ramp, Anderson said.
Martha Catz, owner of The Yoga Connection, said no changes will be made to her yoga class schedules despite the construction that will be happening for the next two to three weeks.
"I'm sure it will be making a lot of noise, but most of our classes are in the evening after it's over," Ms. Catz said. "I think the noise will only be an issue for the morning classes, and the evening classes will be fine."
Miguel Angel Gomez Camacho, the owner of Torero's, said he doesn't foresee any issues being caused by the sidewalk repairs, and that it will be beneficial in the long run. "It's OK, it's no problem," Camacho said. "People are excited about it because I told people they're putting in a new sidewalk and people understand."