City starts work on streets
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on October 24, 2017 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
A sign marks an area of South Claiborne Street between Hawthorne and Elm streets where repaving was going on Monday.
Turner Asphalt is milling and resurfacing city streets as part of a $2.27 million project that will cover nearly 11 miles of roadway in Goldsboro.
More than a dozen roads of the more than 100 planned for resurfacing have been finished, said Marty Anderson, Goldsboro chief city engineer.
The project is the first of three planned during the next several years -- through 2020 -- and part of the $7 million bond package approved by voters in November. The city plans to spend close to $2.5 million on road resurfacing needs during the 2018-19 fiscal year, and about $2 million during 2019-20, Anderson said.
"This is all being paid for by the $7 million bond that was passed last year," Anderson said. "On this round, we picked the worst of the worst, in each (city council) district."
The resurfacing is taking place on city maintained and more heavily traveled roads. Goldsboro's main thoroughfares are maintained by the N.C. Department of Transportation.
"So, your Ash Street, Berkeley Boulevard, Spence Avenue, Wayne Memorial Drive and U.S. 70 are DOT maintained," Anderson said.
The resurfacing project includes the addition of new curb and gutter and the milling of road surfaces, as needed. To date, the resurfacing of road sections along Harding, Marion and Daniel Drive, and Cedar and Hunter's Creek roads are completed.
Within the next two weeks, sections of South Claiborne, Laurel, Best, Jefferson and South Slocumb streets, as well as West Seymour Drive, Wayne, Audubon and Oleander avenues will be finished, Anderson said.
Some of the larger sections of roadways on the list for repaving this year are on East Holly Street, Beech Street, Hunter's Creek Road, South Slocumb Street and the majority of roads in the West Haven public housing community.
Crews are providing city staff with areas planned for resurfacing at least two weeks out. No full schedule has been prepared, as crews are working to complete road sections within concentrated areas of the city.
"They're going pretty fast," Anderson said. "They're starting in an area and getting everything done. They're doing it by proximity."
City staff are working on a pavement condition survey, which involves visually inspecting and driving along each city maintained road. The roads are being rated based on their condition, which involves checks for cracks, potholes and ride quality, Anderson said.
The city last completed a pavement condition survey in 2009, a process that included hiring a consultant, Anderson said.
The next round of city streets planned for resurfacing should be selected within months and presented to the city council in February.
"We'll probably start selecting the roads by the end of the year," Anderson said.
Every year since 2013, the city has budgeted $500,000 for ongoing street resurfacing maintenance, except the current year due to the bond financing. The annual allocation would have resulted in a 14-year process that will now be finished within three years, Anderson said.
"If we didn't have the bond and spending half a million dollars a year, it would take us 14 years to spend $7 million," Anderson said.