Early this week, crews will put the finishing touches on the repaving of seven streets around the University. As part of the Citywide Roadway Improvement Project, sections of Brook, Cooke, Manning, Governor, Williams, Arnold and East George streets have all been repaved in the past two weeks.
While some streets were chosen because of their "atrocious conditions," others were selected because they currently receive heavy traffic that might cause them to deteriorate in the future, according to Ward 1 City Councilman David Segal.
"The paving on the streets was ridiculous. Further down Governor Street there was this huge pothole with cones around it," said Caitlin Barth '06, who lives on Governor Street between Power Street and Young Orchard Avenue.
For the most part, Barth said the work has not been too disruptive. Although the repaving process creates some noise and a strong scent, most of the work has taken place during the day and is minimally distracting.
Repaving is done relatively quickly - in this case, efficiency is important because of the approaching winter. In Providence, when roads are repaved, all intersections must be made handicap accessible, meaning they must have access to sloped sidewalks. Because sidewalks are made out of cement concrete, which is sensitive to the salt that is used for snow and ice control in the winter, work generally stops in the beginning of November.
To ensure that sidewalks and gutters comply with city regulations, crews first grind down the existing pavement and then repave it. While this work is going on, other targeted improvements are made to the street.
In some cases, however, work will have to wait until the weather improves. One resident on a repaved street expressed concern about the size of the gutter and its ability to handle runoff because the curb had settled over time, said City Engineer William Bombard. Though the city might reset it, workers will likely have to wait until spring.
Funding for the repaving comes from the Ward 1 Neighborhood Bond Improve-ment Program, which was established in 1997 and uses bonds that have been divided geographically among Mayor David Cicilline '83 and council members for a variety of issues in Providence neighborhoods. In the past, money has been designated to improve streetscapes, playgrounds and parks. Since the city has not been very good about producing a comprehensive roadwork plan, such projects "seemed like the priority" for spending this year's Ward 1 discretionary funds, Segal said.
For the most part, members of the community agree with Segal. There were a few students, however, who parked on streets undergoing repaving without seeing the signs indicating that parked cars would be towed. Consequently, Alexander Schrobenhauser-Clonan '08 had to pay almost $200 - $99 for a parking ticket and another $99 for towing to Nick's Auto Body and Radiator in Federal Hill - when his car was towed from a space on Manning Street, between Brook Street and Hope Street. Nevertheless, Schrobenhauser-Clonan says that once the construction is finished, he will probably go back to parking on the repaved streets.
