City crews began work installing curb ramps on North Fourth Avenue East in preparation for future road work in October. The ramps include the red dome panels and are a part of the larger overlay project.
“The domes help a vision impaired person know that they are entering a street or traveled way,” Public Work Director Keith Laube said. “The city is required to make all adjacent curb ramps meet code as part of a street project. Furthermore, it is a good practice and is part of the City ADA transition plan in becoming ADA compliant.”
Following the installation of the ramps, an asphalt overlay will be put on the street by Manatts probably in October, Laube said. The 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 street 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.
Repairs on North Fourth Avenue East are part of a larger street project including East Eighth Street North and South, East 19th Street South, West Eighth Street South, West Second Street South and East Second Street South.