Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Streets on west end of town are first to get fresh new asphalt
Charcoal black asphalt was laid on 5th Avenue North Tuesday, by Bituminous Paving. The smell of tar and fresh oil filled the air, and workers and heavy equipment lined the streets along the construction area.
The long-anticipated results of the New Rockford Street Improvement Project are finally taking shape.
After weeks of milling and other preparations, Bituminous Paving began paving streets on Tuesday, Sept. 7.
Crews started on 5th Avenue North with the intention to complete paving on the west end of the railroad tracks in New Rockford by week's end, according to Wade Senger of Interstate Engineering.
For residents on the west side of the tracks, that means the daily struggle of avoiding road closures and finding a new way home should soon be over, if they're not already.
However, crews faced a delay and were forced to halt the paving process when the mixing plant suddenly stopped working on Wednesday. At the New Rockford City Commission meeting that night, commissioners were told paving would likely resume Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, as crews wrap up street improvements on the west side, residents east of the tracks are only beginning to see the massive milling machine trundle down their streets.
Senger told the Transcript Tuesday that the remaining segments of New Rockford to be milled and eventually paved are north of the New Rockford-Sheyenne Public School between the tracks and Highway 281, south of the public school between the tracks and 281, and the segment east of Highway 281.
Senger said he was unaware which of those sections would begin before the other, but as of press time, the milling machine had begun its now daily routine on 4th street, south of the school. The truck route will be the last segment they work on, he added.
"Things are progressing along as planned," said Senger. He also said they're well aware of Homecoming and the Steam Threshers Reunion taking place this week.
"They're going to try to be out of town and get everything wrapped up by Friday, Saturday, Sunday (Sept. 16-18) for the events going on next weekend," he said last Tuesday. "So hopefully the town will look good for the events planned for the city."
The contracted completion date for the New Rockford Street Improvement Project is Oct. 31 of this year, and Senger said he was told Tuesday morning that they're still on schedule to have things wrapped by then.
As of press time, it was unclear what, if any, impact the mixing plant delay had on the project's timeline.
