10th Avenue project in Phenix City stalled by bitter cold weather

Replacing bad soil on 10th Avenue and repaving the street that had new asphalt has taken longer than a curious Phenix City taxpayer can imagine.

“It has now exceeded two months and the road work is still ongoing,” the taxpayer said in an email.

The taxpayer is correct in his assessment of the work, and it has taken longer than projected. It was revealed Oct. 22 last year the Utilities Department was nearly complete with installation of a new 8-inch water main and the asphalt contractor would follow to wrap up the project.

Stephen Smith, the assistant city manager over the Utilities Department, said officials now are waiting on warmer weather to finish the work. “I can do a lot but that is a little bit beyond me,” he said of higher temperatures needed to get the work done. “As soon as it warms up, the road will be repaved.”

Smith admitted the bad soil has been replaced and compacted, the water line is installed and businesses have service connected on the new line.

“All we are waiting on is the weather to be warm enough to put a coat of asphalt on it,” he said. “All the services to the business have been switched over to the new water line. Everything is done.”

Bad soil on the block between 12th and 13th streets is the same problem which plagued the opening of Whitewater Avenue until November 2016. City officials had no idea the soil was bad before the paving project was first completed a year ago.

Smith noted the temperature has to reach more than 62 degrees to get good adhesion on the asphalt. “It will come back up on you if you put it down in cold weather,” he said. “You don’t want that to happen again after having to do it once. It’s too much having to do it a second time.”

No exact figures were available on the project cost, but Smith said it was mostly labor intensive other than the gravel and new piping beneath the roadway. The city is expected to spend about $15,000 to $20,000 before the work is completed.

Businesses along the street may have to wait two to three more weeks before the temperature is high enough to lay asphalt. “It’s not going to be warm enough next week,” he said. “It’s rain Monday and Tuesday.”

In the meantime, businesses have new water service and better water pressure as a result of the project. Along with better soil, the project replaced a 50- to 60-year old cast-iron pipe with the new ductile iron water line.

“They can be confident it’s going to be years before we go in and disrupt anything again,” Smith said.

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This story was originally published January 7, 2018 at 3:59 PM with the headline "10th Avenue project in Phenix City stalled by bitter cold weather."