Fast City Work Smooths Central

The Central Street pavement touchup I previously posted about is done and has made a dramatic improvement, especially for bicyclists. The first picture here shows the crevices that existed along critical stretches of the central business district and the blocks west of Hartrey, and the second shows a section that has been paved over. The work transformed a jarring and even dangerous ride into one that is much safer. The third picture here shows the same section along the north side as shown in the first picture, above. This section was not paved over, but the crevices and cracks were patch-filled. It's unclear why some sections of street made the cut and others didn't. The patch-fill is not as nice as a resurfacing, and probably won't survive the next round of plowing and salting, but I'll take a bump, as opposed to a canyon that could shred my tires or dismount me, any day of the week. On Wednesday, crews were in place re-striping the crosswalks west of Green Bay, something that this website and CSNA Board members, particularly Carol Bild, have been pushing for recently. This work included the crosswalk across from Foodstuffs, one that's been a sore point for CSNA and pedestrians. All in all it seems to have been a quick and efficient job, remedying a problem that had existed for years. I'd have to see the actual expenditures before passing on judgment on a final grade, and time will tell whether the quality of the materials used stands up – it sure seems like asphalt doesn't last anywhere near as long as it used to, and potholes spring up a lot quicker than would be expected on newly-resurfaced road, which makes me suspicious of what governments get for their money (actually, our money). But in terms of speed and final result the City here did what it needed to do, and it is a true public improvement.