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Mill Street repaving will begin next week
By Justin Goble
Downtown travelers may have a hard time getting around next week when the milling and repaving of Mill Street begins.
Town Manager Jay Denton said repairs would start either Tuesday, Aug. 29, or Wednesday, Aug. 30, depending on the weather, according to engineer Rick Styles of the N.C. Department of Transportation. Milling is expected to take one or two days and will be done during the daytime. The street will remain open, with workers closing one lane at a time, Denton said.
Though milling should be a quick process, Denton said it may be unpleasant for everyone who works, lives or visits downtown.
“It will likely be dusty and noisy,” Denton said. “Folks on Mill and Main streets should be prepared.”
After milling is completed, repaving will begin and will be accomplished at night. Work will not begin until 9 p.m., and, as with the milling process, only one lane will be closed at a time, which should minimize potential traffic problems, Denton said.
Weather will determine how long milling and repaving take. DOT officials are predicting between three and four days, but rain could extend the project, Denton said.
“If it stays nice and dry, then work should be done by the weekend” Denton said. “We’re doing our best to ensure a minimum of impact to the merchants.”
Planning for Mill Street improvements started in 2001, but began in earnest earlier this year. Denton said the delay between planning stages and actual construction was caused by an initial lack of interest from contractors.
The second time the project was bid, the town only received two proposals, but that was enough to fulfill statutory bidding requirements and allow the project to proceed, Denton said.
Upgrades began in May with the installation of new sidewalks, curbs and guttering along Mill Street. Included was a “rain garden,” which Denton said uses special soil to filter water before it flows into Scotts Creek.
More renovations are planned after Mill Street’s repaving is complete.
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