Road paving project close to completion in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Columbus road-paving project is about 75%-80% complete.
Kevin Stafford is the city engineer and senior vice president of Neel-Schaffer, a civil engineering firm.
He spoke at Rotary on Tuesday, February 18.
He said only a few tasks remain.
“They’re having to go back and clean up roads that have manholes that need to be adjusted, water valves that need to be adjusted, shoulders that need to be cleaned, (and) striking that needs to be done, so it’s the little things they have left to do,” said Stafford.
The project began in the fall of 2024.
The city allocated $6.9 million for road paving, prioritizing the most damaged streets.
“We have to draw a line ward by ward and say ‘Alright, the money only stretches this far.’ So, when we get done, you’re still going to have these roads that we know need to be paved but maybe they’re not as in bad of shape as these roads over here,” said Stafford.
Crews also assess streets that haven’t been resurfaced in the last 15 years to help determine priority.
However, Stafford said the weather conditions have helped speed up progress.
“Anytime, it’s 50 degrees and rising, temperature-wise, they can do work. And so, we’ve had a lot of those days. We anticipate them to continue to make good progress. They’re well ahead of schedule right now,” said Stafford.
In addition to paving, the city is working on drainage improvements in eight key areas through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The 6-million-dollar cost is split between the state and city.
“It’s a combination of cleaning out ditches, riprap lining them, replacing undersized boxes or dilapidated boxes. in 8 different areas throughout the area as well,” said Stafford.
5th street will also be revitalized.
Stafford also discussed 6 other civil engineering projects expected to happen around the city this year, including improved intersections, park upgrades and more.
The paving project is expected to be completed by the end of March of beginning of April.
