Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Some Paving Completed on Grand Ave.

Daily Gate City newspaper (Keokuk)

The reconstruction of a portion of Keokuk's Grand Avenue took a step forward this week after lengthy delays.

Public Works Director Mark Bousselot says the contractor took advantage of the mild weather to start the week by pouring concrete from 9:00 AM on Tuesday, Dec. 3 through 12:30 AM on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

He says the result is that workers were able to pave the northbound lane of Grand Avenue, between 10th Street and 15th Street.

Due to the anticipated drop in temperature, it will take one week or more for the new concrete to settle.

Bousselot says the temperature drop should conclude the paving work on Grand Avenue for this season.

He says when the temperatures get below 40 degrees, the concrete does not work as well as it should.

Bousselot says rock will be added to make Grand Avenue passable this winter, though he says residents will be encouraged to treat the road as "local traffic only."

He says crews will also work on the sewer system between 9th and 10th streets before the contractor shuts down for winter.

The city had hoped for the project to be nearly complete by the end of this year.

The delays surrounding the Grand Avenue project were front and center during the Keokuk City Council's last workshop.

Chuck Betts, who lives on Grand Avenue, asked the city to provide more information about why the project was taking so long.

Jason Parrott is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.