City of Laurel Officials are pleased that the paving process for the City Beautiful’s 13th Avenue Project has begun.
Laurel Mayor Johnny Magee announced this month that the city expected to begin overlaying 13th Avenue sometime in November, and the work began this week. The city has been working for some time to make infrastructure improvements on this portion of the city’s roadway. The project is a part of the 13th Avenue Overlay and Drainage Improvement Project.
The city’s 2020 Overlay Project is designed to improve the city’s infrastructure throughout the municipality. Work was done earlier this year on 24th Street.
However, with all these projects, the city has been working to make improvements to the city’s water and sewer lines prior to paving roadways.
According to city documents, the city of Laurel planned for the roadway improvement project by utilizing funds from a general obligation bond issue.
As a part of the overall plan, the city approved a resolution giving authority to award construction of the city’s 2020 Overlay Project to Walters Construction Company, Inc. for more than $1.5 million.
The city has been working to improve 5th Avenue from Central Avenue to Northview Drive and along 13th Avenue from Jefferson Street to 12th Street with milling, overlay, and drainage improvements.
During the October 20th meeting, the Laurel City Council approved a resolution giving authority to approve Change Order No. 1 of the ongoing project.
According to city documents, during the construction process, a sinkhole kept appearing after multiple attempts to patch it in the same location at the intersection of 13th Avenue and 4th Street.
It was determined that the sewer line running along 4th Street and connecting to the sewer manhole in 13th Avenue is damaged approximately eight-feet from the manhole.
Therefore, Dunn Roadbuilders submitted a price to replace approximately 70 linear feet of eight-inch concrete sanitary sewer main including excavation, backfill, patching, tie in with existing manhole, tunneling under existing utilities, and reconnecting to the existing sanitary sewer at an average depth of 6-7 feet.
The cost of adding these items is approximately $34,843 and will add 14 calendar days to the project. The city approved the change order and expressed gratitude that the paving process was beginning.
Councilmember Tony Wheat had expressed concern at several meetings about the progress being made on the project. However, he said this month that he is happy to see the project moving forward.
The mayor said the paving project on 13th Avenue is beginning at Jefferson Street and moving up to 12th Street. Magee said it is anticipated that the paving on 5th Avenue will also begin soon.
Council president Tony Thaxton said city officials “are anxious to see these projects come to completion.”