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Storms cast shadow on street work
Rain delays, escalating costs may cause some repairs to be rescheduled
By Kristen Waggener, kwaggener@miconews.com
Mother Nature just isn’t cooperating with the city of Louisburg when it comes to planned street improvements in the older part of town.
The timing of recent rains, combined with rising oil prices, is affecting on how many of the streets in Louisburg can be improved this year, said City Administrator Jeff Cantrell.
“Since the first time we met with the contractor, our costs have gone up seven percent,” Cantrell said.
And costs could rise even more to nine or 10 percent above, city engineer Rita Cassida said.
Last year, Louisburg City Council members approved designating $700,000 to improve older streets, which is nearly double what was allocated to the same cause the year before.
And earlier this year, the city laid out a plan that identified the streets most in need of repair this year, those it would like to see repaired this year, and those on the city’s radar for next year, Cantrell said.
Crews from Killough Construction have already begun grading the roads in preparation for the improvements, and those streets that have been graded will be repaired, Cantrell said.
“We haven’t prepped all the streets because we were buffering for cost escalation,” he said.
Rogers Road, parts of Doyle Street, Mulberry Street, South Third Street and South Fifth Street are scheduled to receive an asphalt treatment because they have higher traffic counts. Sims Street, Peoria Street and parts of Elm, Vine and Olive Streets will receive a chip-and-seal treatment.
Roads the city would like to improve this year, but are tentative because of the costs, include parts of South Eighth Street and South Elm and Olive streets.
Some residents may be questioning why, even though Louisburg’s street project got started earlier, Paola’s project is nearer to completion.
“Our project is much more reliant on weather than Paola’s,” Cantrell said.
Louisburg’s road improvements for this year are scheduled to be finished by the end of summer.
Streets on the radar for next year include Broadway Street and South Ninth Street.
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The timing of recent rains, combined with rising oil prices, is affecting on how many of the streets in Louisburg can be improved this year, said City Administrator Jeff Cantrell.
“Since the first time we met with the contractor, our costs have gone up seven percent,” Cantrell said.
And costs could rise even more to nine or 10 percent above, city engineer Rita Cassida said.
Last year, Louisburg City Council members approved designating $700,000 to improve older streets, which is nearly double what was allocated to the same cause the year before.
And earlier this year, the city laid out a plan that identified the streets most in need of repair this year, those it would like to see repaired this year, and those on the city’s radar for next year, Cantrell said.
Crews from Killough Construction have already begun grading the roads in preparation for the improvements, and those streets that have been graded will be repaired, Cantrell said.
“We haven’t prepped all the streets because we were buffering for cost escalation,” he said.
Rogers Road, parts of Doyle Street, Mulberry Street, South Third Street and South Fifth Street are scheduled to receive an asphalt treatment because they have higher traffic counts. Sims Street, Peoria Street and parts of Elm, Vine and Olive Streets will receive a chip-and-seal treatment.
Roads the city would like to improve this year, but are tentative because of the costs, include parts of South Eighth Street and South Elm and Olive streets.
Some residents may be questioning why, even though Louisburg’s street project got started earlier, Paola’s project is nearer to completion.
“Our project is much more reliant on weather than Paola’s,” Cantrell said.
Louisburg’s road improvements for this year are scheduled to be finished by the end of summer.
Streets on the radar for next year include Broadway Street and South Ninth Street.