The City of Great Bend Public Works Department has released information about this year’s projects pertaining to driving surfaces. A news release from the department notes that streets and projects are chosen each year based on condition assessment and what can be done within the budget. Projects for this year are highlighted on three maps.
• The first map shows select alleyways scheduled for resurfacing, pending City Council approval, at a cost of $145,000.
At the upcoming council meeting on Aug. 5, staff will present select asphalt alleyways with ongoing issues. The majority of them are in residential areas. This work will involve alleys that have been patched and repaired multiple times throughout the years. Overlaying these will alleviate the need to continue patching and making repairs for years to come, allowing the department to focus its attention on other areas of concern.
• The second map, labeled “asphalt resurfacing,” shows streets targeted for removing and replacing asphalt driving surfaces. The cost is dependent on the bid and approval of $800,000 to $950,000.
The largest component of this year’s improvement will be the upcoming bid for work involving asphalt resurfacing. This is the part of the plan where the work is more involved. The City will bid out areas of repair that are not suitable for maintenance but will need to have a complete resurfacing. These areas still have a good base, but the surface needs to be removed and redone.
• The third map is for streets targeted for chip and seal maintenance, to extend the life of those streets, at a cost of $312,000.
In June, the council approved chip and seal with a fog seal topcoat maintenance plan that will begin within the next few months. Chip and seal is a process that provides a wear surface on top of streets that need an extra layer to extend the overall life of the street. This year the City will do 60 blocks of streets of chip and seal with a fog seal topcoat.
“These projects are in addition to the work that our crews do every day,” the news release states. “They include but are not limited to asphalt patching, pouring concrete intersections, curb and gutter, alley approaches and storm boxes. Each year we continue to work doing as we can to improve and preserve our infrastructure. We are committed to staying within budget, enhancing safety, functionality, and overall quality of our infrastructure.”
Other street improvements already addressed this year include:
• 12th and Wilson intersection concrete
• 32nd and Williams intersection concrete
• 19th and Lincoln Storm box
•Asphalt patching and curb and gutter on Tanglewood
• Asphalt patching on Dry Creek
• 29th & Washington Storm Box
• 300+ feet of curb and gutter
• Rebuilt five storm boxes
• Curb, gutter, stormbox and sidewalk at the Post Office
• Assisted with McKinley light improvements
• Upgraded downtown Streetscape lighting
• 60 tons of asphalt for pothole patching
Anyone with questions or concerns may contact Jason Cauley, Public Works director, at 620-793-4150 or jcauley@greatbendks.net.
