Public Works gets double funding to double the usual work – News 11’s Adonis Albright slams the sidewalk for the story
YUMA, Arizona (KYMA, KECY) – The city of Yuma recently launched its Spring Patch Conservation program. City crews perform routine road maintenance work on the north, west, and east sides of the city to make sure the roads are smooth and looking good.
The crews usually carry out maintenance work twice a year, once in the spring and again in the fall. This time, however, the city increases the stakes. Yuma City Council has allocated more than double the roughly $ 2 million funding to maintain the road for fiscal 2020.
Michael Flowers is the Public Works Manager for the City of Yuma. He tells News 11 that the increased budget will allow them to more than double the number of roads they normally drive each year.
Public works manager Michael Flower says this year’s road works will span 45 miles.
“Our goal was to get 10% of our infrastructure done, that’s about 40 miles a year. In fiscal 20, we’re going to cover a million square feet, which is actually 45 miles … Because our budget has been increased by [the city] Advice, before that we only did 23 miles in a year, “Flowers said.
This is good news for the residents of Cibola Heights. Erick Nuñez has lived in the area for more than a decade. As a local and a building contractor, he’s happy to see the city mending its neighborhood.
Erick Nuñez says the road works are needed in his neighborhood.
“I’m very glad they are doing this because these streets, especially on the corner, are mostly pedestrianized by children,” said Nuñez.
Nuñez’s neighbor Shannon Whitt moved to the neighborhood a little less than a year ago. He’s excited that his kids can play without worrying about cracks in the street.
Shannon Whitt says the project will make the streets safer for his children.
“It’s going to be great because the roads are going to be super slick and they love to ride their skateboards and motorcycles and everything and it’s going to be a great thing that they fix them because it’s going to be slippery for them,” said Whitt.
The crews will apply a liquid manure seal, which is a “mixture of asphalt emulsion, aggregate (small gravel) and water on an existing road surface that will help extend the life and quality of our roads”.
This is followed by an oil seal, which further protects the roads and extends their service life.
“We’re shedding this thicker product and I think it works very well … In general, we’re sealing these roads a lot nicer, they look great. The contractors actually roll on the sidewalk so it helps the drying process and compaction as well as the bigger picture. Hopefully the value will stay between 4 and 8 years depending on the type of road and where the traffic is coming from, “said Blumen.
The crews are expected to continue working between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. through May. Some work is done overnight. The city has created a schedule to show the public which areas they cover and when. To see if your street is next in line, visit the city’s website.
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