La Brucherie Ave. project completed
EL CENTRO — After about seven years with the planning and conception of the La Brucherie Avenue Widening Improvements Project, the city of El Centro had its ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday morning at La Brucherie Avenue and Barbara Worth Street with dignitaries from across the county in attendance.
The city also announced and celebrated the 2018 Overlay Project at the ribbon cutting.
The La Brucherie Avenue Widening project, which cost $5 million when adding the right of way, environmental and consultant costs, is over 4,000 linear feet of curbs and gutters with a sidewalk to match the distance.
Included in the project are 14 street lights, 1,500 linear feet of new storm drain pipelines as well as 160 linear feet of new sewer lines, Silva said.
While the planning and conception took place in 2012, the actual construction began in October 2018.
Campos said there was a lot of hard and dedicated work that went into the projects, with a lot of it being underground.
The project was funded by a combination of the Measure D funds, the 2017 new gas tax and city wastewater funds.
The second project the city wanted to showcase on Thursday was the 2018 Overlay Project that will provide better parking for the public.
The project installed 20 ADA curb ramps and 102 tons of asphalt on streets, such as La Brucherie and East Ross Avenue.
The rubber component in the asphalt includes close to 1,000 tons of rubberized hot mix asphalt, made up of 1,857 recycled tires, Silva said.
The overlay project also resurfaced and restriped its downtown parking lots and the parking lots along Bucklin Park.
The $3.4 million overlay project was funded through the 2017 gas tax and Measure D and P sales tax.
The rehabilitated parking lots include the library parking lot, Seventh Street and Broadway parking lot, Broadway between Fifth and Sixth streets, Main and Seventh streets and the water treatment plant parking lot.
Campos said prior to the widening one of the frequent questions from the public was when was the street going to be widened and repaved.
Campos said the projects were really needed.
“It just had some significant problems,” he said. “Prior to this, La Brucherie Avenue was two lanes and traffic volume made it inadequate and the pavement needed some work.”
Silva said the two completion of the two projects will result in making everyone safer and more comfortable.