Marion set for quartermillion dollars in street repairs

Marion set for quartermillion dollars in street repairs

L. H. Polk, Carter Drive among sites pegged for work

news@theeveningtimes.com

Marion has received new cost estimates for its next round of street paving.

Street Department supervisor Gordon Floyd went over the numbers with the city’s streets and drainage committee and said the city should be able to save money by doing some streets in-house rather than contracting out the work.

Included on the list, are L.H. Polk to the railroad tracks on the east side at $51,000, and an additional $47,000 if the city decides to do the section from the railroad tracks to Hwy. 77; Carter Drive from the Service Road to the railroad tracks $75,600, and from the railroad tracks to Hwy.

77 $57,300; and Rica Road from Carter to L.H. Polk.

Total cost for the projects is estimated at $262,730.

“We have some streets that are in worse shape,” Floyd said. “But these are some very high traffic streets. A lot of the lower traffic streets, we are trying to repave now.” The list also includes estimates to raise Trigg Drive ($96,700) and Currie at Elm to Hwy. 77 ($72,900).

The city recently re-paved a section of Apperson and a side street next to Sonic Drive-In.

Floyd said the repair work by Sonic will greatly improve the drainage there.

“We went down in front of the bank and where before water would stand on both of those curves sometimes eight inches deep, we finished putting in a swale,” Floyd said. “We dumped 200 gallons of water on that intersection and when we got finished we maybe had a gallon of water that didn’t run off when we were through. So we have made some big improvements there.”

Mayor Frank Fogleman said he has received a lot of compliments about the improved drainage work throughout the city.

“I think your guys deserve a pat on the back and a tip of the hat,” Fogleman said.

“The public is noticing it.”

“Our streets and drainage has been our biggest issue we have tried to address,” Floyd added.

Fogleman told the committee that there were other streets they may add to the list, including repairs to Patriot Drive.

“If we want to pursue some other street work, we certainly can,” Fogleman said. “But this is just a look at some.”

By Mark Randall