Road construction ahead
Repaving begins on West River Service Road

by Donna M. Webb
Grand Island Dispatch, August 24, 2007

These are just some of the construction vehicles that are working on the repaving project
currently in progress on the West River Service Road. (photo by Donna Webb)

Approximately 7.5 miles of the West River Service Road will be paved in a $1.6 million project begun this month.

A press conference was held on Aug. 16 at the construction site of the new West River Service Road project. Alan Taylor, regional director of the New York State Department of Transportation, spoke on behalf of Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, D-Buffalo, Grand Island, who could not attend due to last-minute car trouble. Taylor added that this construction project will include some drainage work.

“Under the leadership of Gov. Spitzer, (the) NYS DOT is committed to improving the roadways throughout New York state,” Taylor said. “This project will increase safety and mobility for motorists who travel the West River Service Road.” Also included in the project is cleaning of the closed drainage system, as well as the drainage ditches. The ditches will be reshaped, and trees will be trimmed.

“I would like to specifically thank Assemblyman Hoyt for his efforts in securing funding,” Taylor said. The job contract was awarded to American Paving and Excavating Inc., located in Clarence Center and owned by Guy Berberich. The repaving will begin at Bush Road and extend all the way up to Long Road.

The service road will be resurfaced using a process called cold in-place recycling, according to Greg Mancini, the engineer in charge. First, a machine called a drag box puts down two inches of new stone. A milling machine pulls up about four inches of the existing asphalt road surface and breaks it apart. That is mixed with the stone and then combined with liquified asphalt and laid back down on the road. “We’re taking up the existing material and putting it right back down,” Mancini summarized, after taking the intermediate steps. The final part of the process involves applying a one-and-a-half inch asphalt topping. Mancini was asked when the road resurfacing will be done. “Probably in about two more weeks,” he replied.

Cold in-place recycling is not a new process; it began in the late 1980s. However, the Niagara Frontier has seen very little of this type of road reconstruction. “We haven’t done much in this region. ... actually (this is) the second project it’s been used on,” Mancini explained. The first one was on Clinton Street in West Seneca.

Town officials in attendance at the press conference included Supervisor Peter McMahon and Deputy Highway Superintendent J. T. Tompkins. McMahon explained a bit of the history behind this construction project. “We were approached three years ago by the state, (who said), ‘We were supposed to give you the West River Service Road back in the ‘80s. ... We’re ready to do it now.’” However, the pavement problems and drainage issues needed to be addressed.

The DOT “made a great decision to complete all repairs and maintenance prior to reverting jurisdiction of the road to the town of Grand Island,” Hoyt said in a recent press release.

When the project is completed, the town will assume ownership and maintenance of the road.

“We will be responsible for ice and snow removal,” McMahon said. Additional equipment has been purchased for the Highway Department, and they will be hiring more people in order to take care of the new responsibilities.

The entire project is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 1.

“The end result is going to be great for Grand Island,” McMahon concluded.