City Council approves Asphalt Preservation Project, restored brick sidewalk on Chestnut Street

Press release from City of Asheville:

Capital Improvement Project-funding approved by City Council will help the City invest in maintaining our streets and sidewalks.

At their March 12 meeting, Council approved $691,194.40 in street repair projects and $317,687.50 in sidewalk rehabilitation work, including a pavement preservation contract that is designed to lengthen the life of streets before they need repaving. Through Council’s funding approval of the Asphalt Preservation Project, the City will be able to apply a “preservation layer” to 5.4 miles of roadways within the City limits.

Twenty City streets stand to benefit from this “preservation” treatment in 2019. (See list below.)

Asphalt preservation is a process that applies a thin layer of a mixture of asphalt and stone to the existing asphalt surface (as opposed to a full overlay which is 1½- to 2-inch thick). The “preservation treatment” will add to the lifespan of existing payment and will delay the need for full street resurfacing.

“By being proactive with asphalt preservation, the City can deliver a quality road for a longer period of time before a conventional resurfacing project is needed,” said Public Works Director Greg Shuler.

Another transportation investment the City is making is the rehabilitation of the East Chestnut
Street brick sidewalk. The scope of this project is from Liberty to Charlotte Street on the south side of the street.

East Chestnut Street is scheduled to be resurfaced in the spring of 2019. This project is funded by Fiscal Year 18 funds that were contracted last fiscal year. During the planning stage, staff determined that the sidewalk had deteriorated and needed to be replaced as well.

The Public Works Department collaborated with the City’s Historic Preservation staff to ensure the replacement sidewalk maintains the historic character of the neighborhood. Look for that project to happen this year!

Streets designated for asphalt preservation include:
· Ardmore Street
· Bassett Road
· Bellevue Road
· Cherry Lane
· Edgewood Road S (Rock Hill Road to Sweeten Creek)
· Elmwood Place
· Houston Street
· Irving Street
· Lakewood Place
· Old Haw Creek (Middlebrook to east end)
· Roberts Road (Sweeten Creek Road to railroad crossing)
· Round Top Road
· Stamford Street
· Summer Hill Drive
· Thetford Street
· Town Square Boulevard
· Vanderbilt Park Drive
· Walterstone Road
· Wildwood Avenue
· Wood Avenue (Future Drive to the bridge over the railroad)