Weather permitting, Falcon Contracting could resume overlaying streets in Columbus next week.
Project management firm J5 Broaddus announced overlay work for College Street — from Sixth to 15th streets — for March 9 through March 13. J5 senior project manager Robyn Eastman said those dates coincide with Mississippi University for Women’s spring break.
J5 oversees city construction projects in Columbus. Falcon is the contractor completing the work.
The street will be closed to through traffic during working hours and reopened each evening, Eastman said. Workers will grant access to residence along the project’s path, as well as necessary access to emergency personnel.
When Falcon’s equipment hits the pavement, Eastman said it would mark the first time in more than three weeks the contracting firm has worked on the city’s ambitious paving program. Once reported ahead of schedule and set for completion by early April, Eastman said the $3.4 million project — which includes stretches of 71 streets among all six city wards — is about 31 percent complete. He expects to complete all paving projects by early May, and maybe even add some streets.
“We’re going to pave until we use all the money we have set aside to pave,” Eastman said. “It’s not going to be a problem at all to pave what we already have scheduled to pave, then go to the council and maybe add a block or two in each ward at the end.”
The city council issued $5 million general obligation bonds in June for roads, bridges, drainage and sidewalks. The city raised its ad valorem tax rate by 1.1 mills to repay the bonds over 15 years.
After about $500,000 in fees associated with issuing the bonds, City Engineer Kevin Stafford said that left $4.5 million for a two-phase project — the first phase for paving and the second for an estimated $1.1 million in drainage, bridge and sidewalk projects.
Eastman said College Street would mark the fourth of seven planned overlays in Ward 2. He said Falcon has completed 11 of 12 overlays in Ward 1; six of 10 in Ward 3; 13 of 14 in Ward 4; and three of 16 in Ward 5. None of the planned 12 overlays in Ward 6 have even begun, Eastman said.
Balmy temperatures early this week seemed to ring in spring, but today’s return to winter weather could further delay progress.
“We’re hoping the weather will turn in our favor so we can get back to work,” Eastman said.
Stafford said he hopes to get moving on phase 2 soon, adding that he’d like to advertise for bids for those projects by late April or early May so work could begin this summer.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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