Village road work should begin in June

The bright orange construction barrels, heavy machinery and reduced speed limit signs cluttering Grange Avenue give it away: Road construction season has begun in Greendale.

In addition to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's $5 million reconstruction of Grange Avenue, for which Greendale is contributing about $884,000, the village anticipates spending $865,000 on other road work this spring and summer.

Carl Tisonik, Public Works director, said the village expects to award a contract for its work by late May or early June, with construction beginning by mid-June.

Road projects, selected based on ratings in the Wisconsin Information System for Local Roads database, were approved by the Village Board last month. Those being repaired are rated between 1 and 4 on a scale of 10, based on factors such as traffic volume or pavement condition.

Projects will include pulverizing and resurfacing Eastway, from Ramsey Avenue to 51st Street, and overlaying all of Radcliffe Drive and a portion of Mead Road.

In an effort to cut costs and maximize work that can be done, Radcliffe Drive and Mead Road will be milled, which involves removing the top 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches of asphalt and overlaying the base, rather than pulverized, which requires removing the top 4 to 6 inches of asphalt.

A street that is milled generally has a lifespan of 12 to 17 years, whereas one that is pulverized would last about 18 to 22 years, Tisonik said. Pulverizing a road works well for roadways with higher traffic volumes but generally costs about 60 percent more than a mill/overlay project, he added.

Village officials also approved completing work on stormwater outfalls throughout the village and repairing Broad Street from Schoolway to Crocus Court, if extra funds are available.

Overall, residents should not be too inconvenienced by construction other than on Grange Avenue, Village Manager Todd Michaels said.

"But Grange is a once-in-a-lifetime project for us," Michaels added. "The road has been in for over 30 years … and the road will be much better (as a result of the project)."

Julie Becker can be reached at (262) 446-6606.

AT A GLANCE

2009 residential street rehabilitation segments:

• mill/overlay of Mead Road from Millshire Road to Greenway, $67,100

• mill/overlay of all of Radcliffe Drive, $104,700

• pulverize/surface Eastway from Ramsey Avenue to 51st Street, $459,600

• mill of 43rd Street (southbound lanes) from Ramsey Avenue to 900 feet north, $16,800

• corrective overlay of 51st Street from Grange Avenue to 200 feet north of Maplewood Drive, $13,500

• mill of 68th Street (northbound lanes) from Manchester Drive to Edgerton Avenue, $17,300

• miscellaneous crack sealing, patching, sidewalk and sewer repairs, $186,000