Roanoke discussing paving of local roads
Road paving in Roanoke has become one of the main topics of conversation, with more local roads being added to a growing list of potential future projects.
As Roanoke drivers have become fully aware, Main Street is in the process of being resurfaced by the Alabama Department of Transportation. The City of Roanoke is also in the process of seeking funds for a paving project that would include Franklin Road and some surrounding neighborhood streets.
And Monday the city council discussed moving forward with preliminary work on eight roads that have been designated as high-traffic roads in need of resurfacing.
Any time a road or street is repaved, an engineer must map out the project and create what amounts to an architectural plan for how to pave that given lane. Problems or irregularities must be identified ahead of time so that when the project begins the contractor doing the work knows how to properly navigate those issues.
So Monday Roanoke Mayor Jill Patterson-Hicks shared with the council a list of roads in the city and asked the council to consider hiring an engineer to do that preliminary work. The city already has the funds to cover the cost of the engineering, but it’s not a cheap task.
Engineering firms typically charge 10 percent of the expected cost of the actual paving project, and in the case of Roanoke’s eight high-traffic roads the cost for the engineering alone before any asphalt is laid would be just over $200,000.
The eight roads that would be targeted for this first round of repaving are part of a list of 27 streets in the city that were identified as being in the greatest need of repairs as part of a street assessment done last year.
The eight high-traffic roads are Bud Cummings Road, West Point Street, the long portion of Airport Road that runs adjacent to the airport itself, Louina Street, Peachtree Street, North Main (past the Highway 22 turn) and an estimated 100 feet of road on LaFayette Highway at the intersection with Highway 431 (in front of the Mexican restaurant.)
As part of the council’s discussion on the topic, council member Tammi Holley suggested that Industrial Boulevard, which is listed as a moderate-traffic road on the 27-street list, be added to the first group of roads. Her argument was that Industrial Boulevard would likely be a high-traffic road if it were not in such bad condition.
If Industrial is added to the list, it would bump the engineering price tag up to around $260,000, which would still be an affordable cost based on the city’s available funds.
The discussion was tabled and no official action was taken by the council on the issue Monday.
Christmas prep
It may be the first of August, but Roanoke passed two measures Monday that will help get the city ready for its Christmas festivities in December.
The first was to approve an expenditure of approximately $18,000 to create a permanent cement pad to serve as the base for the ice skating rink, which was a popular wintertime recreational site in its debut last year.
The second action was to approve funding for replacing the light bulbs in the city’s street light decorations. The council approved an expenditure of no more than $10,000 to replace all of the traditional bulbs in the decorations with more energy efficient LED bulbs. Alabama Power contributed $2,500 toward the cost of this change, and the project will be completed as part of a hands-on instructional experience for students at the Randolph-Roanoke Career Technology Center.
The new LED fixtures and bulbs will give the city nearly $4,000 in energy savings per month, according to an estimate provided to the city by Alabama Power.
Trash in the back
The council Monday also voted to require businesses on Main Street in downtown – specified as the stretch between Church Street and the ML Awbrey store – to place their trash bins on the streets in the back of the buildings for collection rather than in the front on the Main Street side.
This was done to create a more aesthetic look in downtown.
Fincher visit
Local state representative Bob Fincher attended Monday’s council meeting and spoke briefly to the council before fielding questions from the council members.
Council member Kesa Johnston suggested that the council set up a regular meeting with Fincher prior to each session of the legislature in order to communicate to Fincher specifics of the city’s needs from the state.
