ANDERSON, INDIANA---As the warmer weather approaches, locals have become well aware of the number of potholes and damaged streets in the city of Muncie.
The Public Works team wants to reassure the city that repaving is just around the corner. Their process just so happens to take longer than most expect.
“The downside to that is that it takes a lot longer, it’s more expensive, you won’t see as much progress happening, but the roads that are completed are going to last a lot longer,” said Michele Owens, Public Works team Communications Director for the city of Muncie. “The public works team has been proactive in having a third-party, nonpolitical outside inspector actually grade our roads, which is necessary to be qualified for state and federal funding so we can do more road projects and actually milling.”
Last year, the public works team purchased their own milling equipment, which removes old asphalt and creates a new layer of fresh roads. This will allow for an additional three miles of neighborhood streets. They will target some of the busiest roads in the city like McGalliard, Tillotson and Wheeling.
“It’s been a couple years in the works,” Owens said. “We actually were able to bump our timeline ahead a few years. We’re hoping that by 2025 we’ll be able to repave those roads.”
Once completed, these new roads should last around 15 to 20 years. In the meantime, drivers around town can catch their patch team filling in potholes with temporary asphalt.
Contact Olivia Sloniker at omsloniker@bsu.edu with questions and comments.
