City invests $2.7 million for road maintenance

The city of El Centro will invest more than $2.7 million of Measure D funds in needed maintenance work on some of the most transited roads in the city during the second half of the year.

The road improvements are part of the 2017 Street Overlay Project approved earlier this year by city council. The street maintenance projects are scheduled to get underway in June and are expected to be completed by November.

“The city has made it a priority to keep its streets in good shape,” said El Centro Mayor Alex Cardenas. “This is a testament to how we are working to improve our pavement capital. Maintaining our streets in good condition is and will remain a priority.”

In the most recent road assessment done by the city, its roads received a B rating. Cardenas noted that in order to maintain the city’s roads in good condition, preventive improvements needed to be made.

The scope of work for the projects involves slurry seals which are made of a combination of asphalt and sand mix to reseal streets along with thicker overlays along some of the most heavily used streets. The project was awarded to ATP General Engineering Contractors through a low-bid contract.

The improvements will be taking place across the city, the streets that will have the most work done on them include Main Street, Olive Street, Orange Avenue, Ross Road, La Brucherie Road and Danenberg Road.

“We are targeting many areas, the projects will happen all throughout El Centro, we are not focusing the improvements just to one particular area,” said Deputy City Manager Marcela Piedra.

The funds for the projects will come from Measure D, the half-cent sales tax approved in 2008 which city officials say have been crucial to fund preventive maintenance for their roads and avoid their deterioration.

Despite a lot of roads that will be worked on, Cardenas said that public works staff has a good plan to minimize road closures and detours.

“At this time public works has laid out a comprehensive plan with very specific timelines,” he said. “All members of the city council are very confident that public works and engineering divisions will ensure that all the projects are done timely and with the highest quality.”

Cardenas said the city appreciates the community’s patience during the time the project will take place and said the city will communicate with local residents when they may need to become aware of road closures and detours.

For additional info including a list of the roads go to www.cityofelcentro.org or www.ivpressonline.com