In-house road work paying dividends

In-house road work paying dividends

Marion saving on paving

news@theeveningtimes.com

Marion’s new paving equipment is turning out to be a good investment.

This summer the city purchased a slightly used 2012 LeeBoy paver for $130,000 and city crews have been making good use of it.

The city recently completed overlays of Miller Cove, Boston Cove, South George, South Dogwood, and are currently working on Allen Cove.

Mayor Frank Fogleman said he is pleased with the work he is seeing — and the associated savings of having city workers do the work in-house.

The city has been saving about $20 to $25 per ton on the cost of asphalt by not having to contract the work out.

“I would say it has been a good investment,” Fogleman said. “Any time you can save 20 percent if not more, that’s pretty good.

And hopefully the citizens are pleased we are stretching our street dollars.”

The city had been resurfacing streets using a 1971 parking lot paver.

The new paver has laser level-ups and laser crownups and allows crews to overlay 200 to 250 tons of asphalt a day.

Street Department Director Gordon Floyd said the difference is like night and day with the new equipment.

“You can see the difference from where we started at Miller Cover and the difference we have made at South George,” Floyd said.

“I’m not saying we are as good as (state contractor) APAC. But we are as good as anybody we have contracted out to. It is looking better and better all the time and we are getting more used to it.”

Floyd said crews are finishing North George and will be working on the end of Allen Cove and then Meredith Drive, which will be the last paving projects of the year.

“That will finish everything in that subdivision (Delta Acres) except for the entrance,” Floyd said.

“When we finish North George all of Phase One of the subdivision will have

been overlayed.”

By Mark Randall