This spring, the city will resurface six times as many streets as it has in past years. While the repairs may inconvenience drivers, you can sign up for alerts that warn you of which areas to avoid.
Starting sometime next month, streets will be closed, dust will fly and inconvenience will blow in the wind.
Kansas City road resurface work begins and will cover six times as many road miles as past years.
Citizen surveys rate better streets at the top of the city’s most needed list, and they are about to get some of what they want.
Thanks to a sales tax passed in August, the city has appropriated $19 million for street resurfacing. It will repave over 180 miles or roadways compared to 30 miles on past budgets.
Sherri McIntyre, public works director, reported on the situation this week to the mayor and city manager.
The first phase will be chopping up the existing asphalt and hauling it off, followed by driving on the base concrete for about a week and then by new asphalt that will again close the road for a short while.
The work is sorely needed, she said, because putting it off too long results in destruction of the concrete base and that makes new asphalt fail far more quickly – “we end up band aiding them together.”
Sean Demory, public works spokesman, said they will target messages to people who live in areas where the work is happening, tell them when it will start and when it will end.
“People are a lot more comfortable, a lot more forgiving” if they are notified, he said, and the city will use Twitter and Nixle to do that.
They can target messages to within a half mile, a mile or 10 miles, he said. Public works will start its twitter site in the next few weeks, he said, and people can get on Nixle at the city web site.
Details
- City’s Twitter account
- Nixle registration, receive notifications of road work by email and text message
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