Contrary to the way city paving has been carried out in past years, the Mayor and Board of Aldermen embarked upon a much larger paving project in 2016. In order to provide a systematic plan of assessing and grading streets by professionals, the city hired Dungan Engineering to evaluate and present to the board a plan to improve our major thoroughfares and poor or failed auxiliary roads. Every street in the city was evaluated professionally by engineers, and paving funds will be directed to those streets that were found to be in the worst condition. Through this process the board was able to more than triple the number of miles ordinarily paved.

Exactly how much paving are you doing in 2016?

We are able to pave 26.97 miles of city streets in a city that has 136 miles of streets.

Can you tell us how many streets that is?

That equals about 77 city streets.

Are all wards equally represented in the paving project?

Yes. Although the streets to be paved were not selected by ward, the number of miles has worked out fairly equally. In round figures, Ward 1 has 25 miles; Ward 2, 23; Ward 3, 27; Ward 4, 26; Ward 5, 23; and Ward 6, 27. Some ward lines overlap streets.

Who is doing the paving?

After following the proper procedures and respecting the bidding process, Dickerson & Bowen of Brookhaven was the low bidder for the project.

How much will the project cost?

Total cost of the project will be $ 3,094,449.10.

How will the city pay for the paving?

The city will pay for the paving with cash on hand. No money has or will be borrowed to take care of this obligation to our citizens. No increase in taxes will be seen.

How were the streets professionally rated?

Dungan Engineering used the Pavement Condition Index rating system as they traveled our streets to evaluate them. This system measures type, extent and severity of pavement surfaces and the smoothness and riding comfort of the street. Age of surface, condition of surface and amount of traffic are factored into the thorough evaluation of the streets in a systematic away. This high-quality information tells public works officials and engineers the current condition of all streets in the city, which are then rated as good, fair, poor or failed.

Will all streets be surfaced identically, or will some require more treatment than others?

Under the recommendation of engineers, Dickerson & Bowen will be using four surface treatment methods based on the rating of the street:

• Hot mix asphalt that is approximately 1 1/2 inches thick.

• Ultra-thin asphalt overlay which is an aggregate blend of asphalt that is generally less than one inch thick.

• Limestone seal which requires an application of liquid asphalt emulsion with limestone aggregate spread on top to fill in any cracks.

• Mat and seal, aka double bituminous surface treatment, a two-step process in which asphalt emulsion is applied, a layer of coarse aggregate is applied, and the process repeated.

Is the city also striping and milling any of the streets?

Yes. Higher-volume streets will be striped both at the center and the edge. Milling will be done where deemed necessary by the consulting engineers.

In what area of Brookhaven will the paving project start?

Actual paving began on Jan. 29. Contractors are allowed to begin the project in areas most advantageous to their work plan. Their approach is systematic and efficient. In some areas the water department must stay ahead of the paving as they raise water valves and manholes to be flush with the pavement. Infrastructure work should be completed before the street is paved.

What streets have already been paved?

Junior Trail, Portman Trail, GatsonTrail and Field Lark Lane. Work has begun on Fairlawn, streets in the Brignall area and on Heucks’ Retreat Road. North Jackson Street is probably next.

What streets are on the list to be paved in 2016?

Avalon Avenue, Georgia Avenue, Old Wesson Road, Beauregard Street, Greenview Trail, Palmer Drive, Becker Street, Guiser Street, Perkins Drive, Brignal Road , Harper Street, Portman Trail, Bristow Trail Hartman Street, Rhodes Lane, Broken Lane, Heucks Retreat Road, Rosehill Cemetery, Brookhaven Street, Honey Creek Lane, Sawmill Lane, City Park parking, Irby Drive, Shore Drive, Clarkwood Trail, Josephine Street, Silver Cross Drive, Conrad Trail, Junior Trail, Skyward Lane, County Club Road, Kids Kingdom parking, South Church Street, Crooked Lane, Lakewood Drive, South First Street, Dale Trail, Lance Alworth Drive, Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Drive, Denham Lane, Lewis Drive, South Washington, Drury Lane, Lipsey Street, East Chickasaw Street, Locust Trail, Turnbough Avenue, Lumber Street, Turner Street, East Congress Street, Mary Street, Walnut Street, East Enterprise Street, Melanie Lane, West Chickasaw Street, East Minnesota Street, Mississippi Avenue, West Congress Street, Easthaven Cemetery, Moak Street, West Enterprise Street, Eastley, North Jackson Street, West Minnesota Street, Fairlawn Trail, West Monticello Street, Field Lark Lane, North Park Lane, Williams Street, Fulton Street, North Second Street, Wood Street and Gatson Trail.

When may I expect my street to be paved?

The goal of the city board is to get all our city streets in great condition. Weather permitting, your street will be paved as soon as possible if it is on the 2016 list. Our engineers have estimated a cost of 1.4 million dollars per year to maintain our streets. Budget constraints do not allow us to budget all of that amount in one year. Each year poor and failed streets will be evaluated in a professional way for repair.

Mayor Joe Cox, Alderman-at-Large Karen Sullivan and aldermen, Randy Belcher, Terry Bates, Mary Wilson, Shirley Estes, Fletcher Grice and David Phillips.