Downtown street work coming to an end

Andrew Edwards

The sound of jackhammers and smell of fresh asphalt filled Downtown

streets often in recent weeks, and now the work is finally winding

down.

Today is scheduled to be the last day of significant work on the

Downtown Rehabilitation Project, Public Works Director Steve May

said.

There is still some touch-up work that needs to be done with the

asphalt in the parking spaces near City Hall, but he said he does not

expect those efforts to delay traffic.

Rough numbers show the project was completed on budget, Project

Manager Derek Wieske said.

Though public works staffers do not have complete figures

available, the work cost about $800,000, which is close to what

planners expected, he said.

The project began in March as construction crews dug into

sidewalks to install new concrete, smooth out the walkways and repair

curbs. Workers also restructured three intersections and repaved

Forest and Ocean avenues and Beach, Mermaid and Second streets.

With the pace of the work slowing down this week, May had only

positive things to say about the project and Sequel Contractors, the

company hired to complete the tasks.

“The contractor executed the work exactly as we planned it,” May

said.

For business owners, the loss of parking spaces and traffic

congestion caused by road closures made the daily grind even tougher.

“It was devastating for our business,” said Ali Javan, owner of

One Hour Photo on Beach Street.

“[Customers] have this perception, there’s no parking Downtown,”

he added.

Ken Lauher, owner of Ken’s Jewelry on Forest Avenue, echoed

Javan’s remarks that scarce parking can put the brakes on commerce.

“It was slow because there wasn’t parking and parking is very

valuable,” Lauher said.

Though merchants were willing to discuss their grievances over the

construction when interviewed, May said that for the most part,

interaction between Downtown business owners and the public works

department went smoothly.

“We got fewer calls ... than any pavement project I’ve ever worked

on,” May said.

Only one business filed a claim against the city seeking

reimbursement for money the business argues it lost as a result of

the project, May said.

The details of claims filed against the city are confidential,

Assistant City Clerk Martha Anderson said.

Apart from the asphalt work near City Hall, planners have not

scheduled any Downtown projects until fall. After the summer festival

season is over, the city will resume work to underground utility

cables in the Downtown area.

That project is expected to happen from September to November, May

said.