The warm and dry weather so far this spring has allowed the City of Estevan’s public works division to enjoy a head start on numerous projects and tasks.
Norm Mack, who is the roads and drainage manager for the city, told the Mercury that they have completed some work with curb, sidewalk and asphalt repairs, along with street sweeping and road painting.
The asphalt patches were a big part of the city’s budget this year, as there was approximately $700,000 allocated for the patches. Mack believes there is about six years of work to catch up on, with more than 50 patches needed in the city.
“We’re thinking about routes to facilities for the Summer Games, making sure that they’re done,” said Mack. “So, we’re trying to have some strategy.”
Repairs to curbing and sidewalks have to be completed before the paving crews can move in.
“Then the cement has to cure for 10 days, and the pavement crew has to come in next,” said Mack. “Some of those patches are a day-long job, for sure, with one crew.”
After the asphalt is finished, a landscaping crew will restore the boulevards and tackle any needed beautification work.
The patches are spread out across the city.
“A lot of them aren’t necessarily from water breaks,” said Mack. “They have been sewer service replacements. A lot of them you have to take the sidewalk out, because we change the pipe that goes from the house to the middle of the street.”
They hope to have all the existing curb, sidewalk and asphalt patch repairs completed by the end of June. And they also hope to repair any cuts that stem from water and sewer main repairs that happen this year.
Mack noted they’re also trying to take care of some of the sidewalks that are in bad shape around the city, as those have also been neglected over the years.
Street sweeping started about four to six weeks ahead of schedule. Mack noted all roads have been cleaned at least once, and the regular street sweeping schedule was scheduled to begin on May 10.
“There was only one month this winter, believe it or not, when we did not sweep, and that was January,” said Mack. “We were out with the sweepers in December, and we were out with the sweepers in February and March.”
Not only were they able to clean the streets during the months when, normally, it wouldn’t happen, they didn’t have to apply much road salt or sand in the winter.
“It’s very important to get that sand and debris off, because with the programs that follow, like with crack filling, the streets have to be clean, and with asphalt patching, the streets have to be clean, and then line painting follows,” said Mack.
Arterial roads will be cleaned once or twice a week. Fourth Street, for example, will be cleaned on Mondays and Fridays.
If the weather co-operates, Mack expects all roads will be swept three or four times this year.
He noted signs will be put up in advance where the street sweepers will be cleaning, so that residents will have sufficient notice.
The city has a four-year-old street sweeper that handles much of the work. They also have two older units, although one will be sold at an auction later this year. The other will be retained until a new street sweeper arrives, likely later this year.
Signs are usually in place the previous day as to where they are going to sweep, giving residents notification of the city’s plans.
Painting traffic lines started in May, which is also early. Mack said it often wouldn’t happen until June.
“Since we’re ahead of schedule, we might as well get at it,” said Mack. “The streets are clean, and they’re ready to go.”
All of the city parking lots have been painted. The yellow and white paint to mark the lanes on the city’s primary roads were being applied in early May, and if the weather co-operates, Mack hopes it can be finished soon, since it helps with safer driving.
“A few years ago, we were using latex paint,” said Mack. “It just wasn’t working for us. It was peeling off so fast. We went to an oil base that’s legal with Environment Canada, and it’s staying on. It’s been doing well for us.”
Crews are also working on painting the crosswalks, which is a big job that will take all summer.
“We have a crew of summer students painting yellow curbs,” said Mack. “Our yellow curbs have been neglected for a lot of years. We didn’t buy a sprayer, but they’re out there with rollers and painting yellow curbs. They’re going to start in the heart of the city.”
Mack expects the city will have a program to paint yellow curbs each year.
Another coating of line paint is scheduled to happen later this year. Since they had an early application this year, Mack would like to complete the second application in mid-July, just before the Saskatchewan Summer Games, to make it safer for everyone in the city during the multi-sport competition.
Crews have also started work on pothole filling, using hot mix. They started on King Street and Fifth Street last week, and were back on King Street on May 9.
They were able to work on crack filling two months ago due to the unseasonably warm weather, but that work has now been delayed so that they can focus on potholes.
