Many McComb streets have gotten a makeover recently, and plans to rework even more areas are still to come.
Last fiscal year, the board authorized a $950,000 project to mill and overlay 10 streets around McComb. Most of that project is completed, with eight streets covered with new asphalt. But two gave public works director Philip Russell and his crews a bit of trouble.
Work on Virginia Avenue between West and James streets and Louisiana Avenue between Seventh and Third streets caused a few water main leaks, Russell said.
“The difficult part was, you can’t just put a new water main in, you have to stop the old one,” he said. “And we’ve had a tough time trying to isolate those lines.”
To complete the 10-street project as expected, with the curb and gutter work and restriping the roads, the final project is estimated at $1.1 million — about $165,000 more than budgeted.
Russell said the water main work is nearly completed, and the roads should be ready to pave by the end of next week.
The Summit Street east interceptor project across town has a few months left, but Russell recently told selectmen that the project is coming in under budget thanks to some construction changes.
In the original plans, Summit Street would need a new road base from curb to curb to fix the sewer and water lines underneath the road before overlaying the street. However, Russell said the middle of the road does not need to be torn out, and that will decrease the project cost and loaned amount by about $330,000.
Russell said that despite the changes to how the project will be completed, the same results are expected and the road will be completely overlayed.
Plans to mill and overlay Delaware Avenue Extension from Cherokee Drive to Highway 570 and Pearl River Avenue from Locus Street to Magnolia Street are expected to come to fruition this summer thanks to federal highway funding.
“We’re working to get it ready,” he said. “It requires a bit more paperwork because of the way it’s funded.”
The city budgeted $600,000 for street work in this year’s budget but has not dedicated it to any certain streets yet. Russell said there is no lack of streets to work on, but the board has not decided what area to tackle next.
