JACKSON PAVING PROJECT BACK ON TRACK

Jackson's West Main Street paving project is back on track again, and officials are hoping it will stay on track all they way to completion in late September.

Work on the delay-plagued project was halted Monday by the Jackson Board of Aldermen after acting City Engineer Rich Bowen told board members 146 feet of pavement poured last week in the westbound lane was defective and will have to be replaced. This is in addition to about 1,200 feet of pavement in the eastbound lane that was condemned as defective in July, and must also be replaced.

At its Monday meeting the board ordered work on the project stopped until Thursday after City Attorney David Beeson said the city's position with the contractor's bonding company might be endangered if it allowed the work to continue.

Following a special meeting Thursday between city officials, the bonding company, and the contractor, SIS of Creal Springs, Ill., and its attorney, the contractor agreed to the city's demands to remove the defective pavement on both sides of the street and replace it with new concrete at no added expense to the city. In return, SIS was granted extra time by the city to complete the work.

Acting City Engineer Rich Bowen said the contractor also agreed to replace the job superintendent on the West Main Street project with a new superintendent.

Bowen said the contractor indicated work could resume as early as today or Monday. When work resumes, Bowen said the contractor will close the eastbound lane of West Main to traffic to begin removing the 1,200 feet of defective pavement between Hubble Creek and Missouri Street.

"This will take about 10 days ... about four days to remove and replace the bad pavement, and another five days to let the pavement harden and cure," he said.

"After the eastbound lane is reopened to traffic (during the first week of September) the westbound lane will be closed in the vicinity of Lenco to remove the 146 feet of bad pavement. All of this should take about 20 working days, plus a couple rain days. If everything keeps moving, and there are no lengthy weather delays, all of the work should be completed around Sept. 20."

One of those who attended Thursday's meeting, Ward 1 Alderman Paul Sander, said he's relieved the West Main Street project will be completed within the next 20 to 30 days. It was supposed to have been finished Aug. 19.

Said Sander: "Overall, I don't feel good about the whole project. It's been very bad and inconvenient for the businesses on West Main, and the people who have to use West Main. On the other hand, if it had to happen, at least we're now moving in the right direction, and hopefully we'll still get a halfway decent street out of all of this."