Kirksville to repair The Square

Kirksville roads are full of peeling tar, large potholes and uneven curbing, but the city’s contractor will begin road repairs for some of the major problem areas.

Mihalevich Concrete Construction, Inc. will fix areas including Doyle Way, Cobblestone Lane to McPherson Street, the west LaHarpe Street approach to Franklin Street, The Square, and the intersection of Michigan and Boundary Streets.

pothole 2Public Works Director Glenn Balliew says road repairs are an ongoing issue. Balliew says he decided it was time to take serious action when he noticed a difference in the number of how many Kirksville roads were being fixed and the roads that needed repairs. Balliew says many of the roads in residential areas deteriorated because their sub-bases underneath the asphalt or concrete were shifting or were incorrectly laid down. Some of these roads need to be torn up and rebuilt from scratch, he said.

“There’s a whole lot of factors in what streets do,” Balliew says. “If you live in a neighborhood with nice houses but you can’t go down the street, it makes the value in property go down. No one wants to have a bad, ugly road in front of their house. We are working on how to fix that. You have to pay attention to the taxpayers because they pay the bills. That’s who the streets affect.”

Mayor pro tem Glen Moritz says there was an abundance of support from Kirksville citizens to fix the roads. Moritz says citizens provide the major source of income for road funding because of the transportation sales tax Kirksville requires that annually raises approximately $1.2 million. He says it is important for residents to know that when enough citizens bring something to the attention of the city council in a positive and respectful way, change can happen.

“Anyone who’s driven around Kirksville knows the roads are a fairly constant issue. As a council we definitely get a number of calls about the roads. There is a certain degree of morale that comes from having a city that’s well maintained looks good and that’s easy to travel over. Each individual in the community really is important. It’s great when citizens give their positive input and write constructive suggestions.”

– Glen Moritz, Mayor pro tem of Kirksville

Moritz says many citizens want answers now about when the roads will be done, but there are many factors that come into play, such as weather and financial planning. He says if the temperature drops below 45 degrees, the asphalt and concrete used to build the roads will not set properly. This has created a specific season for road building and a limited time frame that will come to a halt once cold weather arrives, he said.

To read more on maintenance in Kirksville see the rest of the story on Issuu.