March 28, 2024

Road work continues, Beltline project complete

Recently completed East 31st Street North, commonly known as the Beltline Road, is reopened after a construction project that began in June was completed on time.

“The road is open and smooth, and I think the public enjoys it,” Public Works Director Keith Laube said.

The $1,046,872.45 project was completed by Manatts of Brooklyn and added drain pipe on each side of the road that will keep the sub-grade dry. A seven-inch thick concrete overly gives the 40-year-old road a new, smooth surface.

The road is also now 28 feet wide, after previously being 24 feet wide. It is hoped the enlarged road will help accommodate truck traffic from industries located in the area and prevent the existing edge of pavement from deteriorating.

“Truck drivers that have come to our city in the past may have tried to avoid that road and now they will take it because it is a nice and smooth. They may stay on it instead of looking for somewhere to turn off,” Laube said.

With the completion of the Beltline Road, the city is now moving focus to several mill and overlay projects through out Newton. Those street repairs are funded from two sources — $500,000 coming from the 2015 bond and $250,000 provided by the 10-cent increase in the gas tax.

“We looked at what are some of the asphalt streets that needed repaired. We identified these streets this winter and also had the open house in the spring,” Laube said. “These are streets that if we do not do some maintenance now, we’re going to probably have to reconstruct them in the future, which is what we are trying to avoid.”

The streets include sections of East Eighth Street North and South, North Fourth Avenue East, East 19th Street South, West Eighth Street South, West Second Street South and East Second Street South.

Those streets will first have a couple of inches of asphalt milled off the top of the roadway. That area will then be replaced by new asphalt, which is expected to have a shelf life of 20 to 25 years. The asphalt that was milled off will be recycled.

Other future street projects include the reconstruction of South Second Avenue, which is still in the design phase but is nearly ready and North Fourth Avenue West, which is programmed for next year.

“We have different funding sources for different streets. We have some streets that are TIF districts, so we have TIF money to repair those. We also have federal routes that get paid 80 percent with the federal gas tax. Beltline was an example of that. North Fourth Avenue West is also an example of that. We have that program and the state DOT oversees that so we have it programmed for next year,” Laube said. “We are allocated so much money every year from the federal gas tax so we program those roads in. It is wise to use that money because we only have about 30 lane miles we can use that gas tax money on. A lot of time it is the truck routes, the busier streets.”

There is also additional work being done to fill holes and repair small areas throughout the city.

“This is by far the most street work we have done in the past five years,” Laube said.

For additional information about when and where roadwork is being completed, contact the public works department at 641-792-6622.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com