Saturday, January 2, 2010

No Curb Party for JFK Drive West

JFK Drive west, one part of the contract is complete...

Dec. 30, 2009 JFK Drive and Transverse

Dec. 30, 2009 JFK Drive and Transverse

We like new curbs and pedestrian-friendly curb cuts and new corner sidewalks, but we're not going to stage a party along John F. Kennedy Drive west of Transverse until the job is done. We want the repaving curb-to- curb the full length of JFK Drive out to the Great Highway. The most recent deadline for work completion was December 31st. The re-surfacing has yet to begin.
What's the problem? Weather for one thing. Rick Thall, Project Manager for the Recreation and Park Department (RPD) explained in an email Dec. 23 that for a project of this scope the contractor needs six to seven days of dry weather to grind and pave: four days of dry weather before starting and then two to three days of no rain to remove the current pitted, rugged, much-cursed asphalt and then lay a new smooth, safe layer for about 1/2 mile in both east and west directions. If it doesn't rain from Dec. 31 through Jan. 4th with no rain on that day, then the repaving can begin. Hopefully.
Cheer the rain to help end the drought or bemoan the downpours for stalling the repaving? What are good bicylists, pedestrians, and motorists to do? Should a major repaving project that requires six days of dry weather to even start be scheduled for December?
We've posted so many times about the imminent resurfacing of JFK Drive West that we're not going to recount the story here (but, if you'd like, check these posts (Dec. 11th, Nov. 12th, Oct. 21st) for the delay in state funding, the unexplained down times, the implied contract issues, etc.
The resurfacing will happen, JFK will become safer, there will be a party. (repeat)

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