Curb work began Oct. 14 on a 450-foot stretch of Lafayette Street (Route 42) in London.
The work is being done on the south side of Lafayette between Richmond Avenue and the start of the lefthand turning lane leading to Richmond. During the project, motorists will not be able to turn left onto Richmond. Traffic flow on Lafayette will be maintained for the most part. It will be subject to detours for short amounts of time when the street is closed to allow in large equipment, such as cement trucks.
The asphalt in the high-traffic area takes a beating, said Steve Hume, London’s safety-service director.
“It’s been patched over and over. It needs a curb that will hold the pavement in place,” he explained.
The city is putting in an eight-inch curb with fiber in the mix to make it stronger than the usual six-inch curb.
Crews will take one week to dig, pour and form the curb, then allow the concrete to cure for one week (depending on the weather). In the process, the road along that stretch will be widened by a maximum of 18 inches; paving will take place after the curb cures.
“This time, we’re just working on the outbound side. The other side is in better shape but will have to be addressed later,” he said.
According to Hume, a similar curb project was done two or three years ago from Elm Street to Richmond. The asphalt there has held up well, he said.
Water Main on Toland
Another project that started in London last week will upgrade the water main on Toland Street from four inches to six inches.
“This should help with fire protection in that particular area, as well as provide better water pressure to most of the homes in that area,” Hume said.
Traffic will flow as usual on Toland, unless the equipment working on the project is too large to keep out of the road. At such times, some blocks in the area will be temporarily closed, but residents will still have access to their driveways.
Hume estimates the project will take four weeks to complete. Most of the funds for the project are from a Community Development Block Grant for distressed areas.
“It’s a grant we got due to the economic conditions of the city,” Hume explained. “It’s an area that has not been looked at for upgrades in some period of time.”
Flood Plain at Jacqueline
The City is nearly done with improvements to the flood plain on Madison County Hospital’s property. The project is designed to increase the capacity of Glade Run creek and thereby alleviate the water that gathers on nearby Jacqueline Street after major rainfalls.
“The homes on Jacqueline were built in a flood plain. This project isn’t going to solve their programs, but it will lessen the impact,” Hume said.
The project started in late September.
