Orange traffic barrels scattered among various intersections throughout Mansfield are slowly starting to disappear as the city prepares to resurface its roads. The construction seen in Mansfield since May has served as a preliminary step, cutting curbs before paving can begin.
City Engineer Robert Bianchi explained the curb ramps are being cut at intersections that will be paved this year as part of the city’s 2014 Street Resurfacing Program. The streets to be resurfaced include: Charwood Road from Sherbrook Road to Clifton Boulevard; Dirlam Lane from Middle Bellville Road to east end; Random Street from Heidi Lane to the corporation limit; Sterkel Boulevard from Lexington Avenue to Scholl Road; Sunset Boulevard from Valley Boulevard to Glendale Boulevard; Woodland Road from Andover Road to Marion Avenue; and Yale Drive from Dickson Parkway to Stewart Lane.
“We are mandated by the federal government that when we do a resurfacing project, we have to replace curb ramps and bring them up to current ADA design standards,” said Bianchi. “Wherever we resurface a road, we have to replace those curb ramps along the corridor. Right now they don’t meet the current design standards, and it’s a mandate.”
The ADA refers to the American Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits discrimination based on disabilities. The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design state “each facility or part of a facility constructed by, on behalf of, or for the use of a public entity shall be designed and constructed in such manner that the facility or part of the facility is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.”
Smith Paving and Excavating of Norwalk has been busy since the first week of May replacing the curb ramps. Bianchi explained the crew worked as a four-crew assembly line, first tearing out the existing concrete, forming and pouring the new concrete, then seeding and mulching. He noted Smith Paving is a subcontractor to the city’s resurfacing contractor, Kokosing Construction Company.
“The design criteria are all spelled out on how we have to design these curb ramps, with certain slopes and ramps,” Bianchi explained. “It’s all carefully constructed to meet current standards.”
The 2014 Street Resurfacing Program is estimated to cost $2,176,435.53, which Bianchi said comes from funds from the city of Mansfield’s quarter percent income tax initially established in 1986. The tax levy was renewed for another four years in May 2013.
“These are a small part of the project,” said Bianchi of the curbs. “It’s incidental to the paving, it’s mandated that when we pave we replace them.”
Though the replacement of the curb ramps is nearing the end, the resurfacing has only just begun. Bianchi said resurfacing is expected to last until October, with approximately 22 miles of road being paved this year. The milling of the pavement has already begun, which will be followed by two applications of asphalt.
