Sunset in sight for Third Avenue rough ride

The Third Avenue third world road conditions in Jasper should be ending soon.

Jasper Street Department Assistant Jeff Theising asked the public to just bear with the road conditions a little longer as Infrastructure Systems Incorporated crews start the final phase of the water main project.

The project to replace the over 60-year-old water main along with icy winter weather has made the traverse along Third Avenue a kidney bruising affair over the past few months.

“I want to thank the citizens and motorists for their patience on the project,” Theising said. “It’s no secret, it’s pretty rough out there. You’re going to have to drive slow.”

Unfortunately it’s going to get worse before it gets better, Theising told the Jasper Board of Public Works and Safety today.

Infrastructure Systems Incorporated will begin completing the cuts for the line taps into the water main in the next few days. These perpendicular cuts will likely make the road that much rougher until warmer weather hits the area and hot mix can be applied.

“Those taps are a good thing cause that means he is starting to wrap up the project,” Theising said.

The Street Department had planned on using a County Highway Department piece of equipment to patch the work over the winter but the extreme cold has rendered the patch mixture useless.

Work is expected to be completed in the next three weeks.

“The week the hot-mix plant starts back up, we are going to mill those trenches and he’s (paving contractor) going to come in right behind us with a small paver and pave those trenches,” Theising said.

That is expected to happen the first few weeks of April. The Street Department plans on repaving the road this summer.

Mayor Terry Seitz pointed out this project actually completes two projects for the city; the replacement of the water main and the paving of Third Avenue.