City Manager Ryan McCrady says the city had no choice but to make the adjustments…
“At this point I don’t know the total costs of the adjustments because some of the work is still being wrapped up. But at some point there is nothing else for us to do aside from just agreeing with them and doing what they want us to do so we had to move forward.”
McCrady went on to say that while the reconstruction of the sidewalks looked extreme, and was a hassle for drivers traveling on both sides of Eldorado, the work was not as intensive as it could have been with not every piece of sidewalk needing to be replaced.
At first it may look like sloppy work on the contractor’s part, not measuring the slope correctly, but, McCrady says, the uneven weather could have played a role in the sidewalks incline…
“Sidewalks are tricky, especially on roads like Eldorado Street. The freeze and thaw cycle moves concrete and that’s why when you have joints put into sidewalk s they sometimes move with the freeze and thaw cycle. It is not difficult to believe that a freeze and thaw cycle could have moved the sidewalks 1/16th of an inch.”
Despite the minor setbacks, Public Works Director Rick Marley says the downtown streetscape project is still set to finish ahead of schedule.
