Construction update — Pink section 10/2/24
Construction update from Road Commission:
This week
Springline will continue backfilling over the underdrain and preparing for concrete in the northern part of the section (Oak and Yarmouth west of Cranbrook, Dorstone and Tottenham) for the remainder of the week.
Concrete curbs will begin on Thursday on Oak and Yarmouth west of Cranbrook, then moving on to Dorstone and Tottenham (in that order). GM & Sons will be pouring concrete driveway approaches after the curbs are poured (usually the next day). This process includes removal of temporary driveway approaches, pouring concrete curbs and laying concrete driveway approaches. Impacted residents will not have access to their driveways for approximately 2 weeks, beginning with the day the driveway approach is removed. Residents will receive a notice on their front doors about 48 hours in advance, indicating the specific day the driveway approach will be removed. On that day, residents will want to remove their cars from driveways/garages and park on a different street before 7 am to avoid getting blocked in for the two-week period. See further detail, including parking suggestions for residents impacted by curbing work, in last week’s blog post HERE.
Restoration will continue on streets that have received the first layer of paving. Restoration work includes sprinkler repairs, top soil and sodding in the areas damaged by construction.
ART will be lining drainage structures in both the Pink and Blue sections.
Next week
Concrete curbs and driveway approaches will be completed in the northern part of the section.
Toward the end of the week, Doan will begin removal and replacement of some concrete curb on Glenhurst that was damaged in the paving operation. Residents will be notified in advance if access to their driveways will be impacted by this work.
Structure lining will continue in both the Pink and Blue sections.
Restoration work will continue in the south part of the section, where streets have one layer of asphalt.
Looking ahead . . .
Milling (asphalt removal) and grading of the road sub-grade in the northern part of the section (Yarmouth and Oak west of Cranbrook, Tottenham and Dorstone) will begin soon after the concrete has cured on the curbs and driveways currently being poured. The section of Oak that is east of Cranbrook will be milled, graded and paved as part of this group of streets. The milling work is tentatively scheduled for 10/15 and 10/16. Milling and grading involve parking and access restrictions, as discussed HERE.
When Oak is milled, the street will be blocked by the milling equipment. After milling, Oak will be graded over several days, and drivers could experience significant delays. Oak will be completely closed during paving. The milling, grading and paving work will take place over about 5 days; residents using Oak to travel into Birmingham or to Quarton Elementary will need to find alternative routes during this time period.
Final paving on the streets that already have one layer of asphalt will be scheduled once restoration work is completed, and all structures have been lined and adjusted. The paving work will likely occur late in October. Ajax has not yet determined the logistics of laying the final “wearing” course of asphalt. Residents should plan that the street will be completely closed for longer than when the first course was laid to allow cooling and provide time for the asphalt to cure. A longer wait before driving on the new asphalt will improve the look of the asphalt for the longer term. Tire marks or other mars that occur if there is traffic on the asphalt too soon are a cosmetic issue that we will have to live with going forward.
Sprinkler winterization
As part of the restoration work, Mike’s Landscaping crews will be repairing any damage to sprinkler systems caused by the construction. Residents will be asked to turn their systems on and confirm damage is repaired. Given the volume of sprinkler repairs Mike’s crews will need to complete, it will take a number of weeks to finish the sprinkler work. Residents with systems needing repair will want to schedule sprinkler winterization for later in October to ensure the systems can be fixed before winterization is done. As a reminder, residents may choose to have their own contractor repair sprinkler damage, but will not be reimbursed for the cost of doing so.
Thank you for your continued patience as we navigate this last 6 - 7 weeks of construction in the Pink section!