On Tuesday's “Mornings unPhiltered” show, host Phil Boyum welcomed Brad Deal, Statesboro assistant city engineer and Streetscapes Project co-manager. Deal is a Georgia Southern University graduate and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Deal came on the show to talk about the progress of the city's downtown Streetscape project that began in May of this year. The project, when finished, will dramatically improve the condition of the roads and sidewalks from the intersection of the Main Streets by the Bulloch County Courthouse all the way to the corner of Savannah and Mulberry Streets.
Originally planning to do both sides of the street at the same time, the decision was made to undertake construction on one side of the street at a time. The main contractor on the project is Y-Delta Corporation of Statesboro, and Deal said they have made very good progress despite weather problems. The phase that crews are doing right now is redoing the sidewalk along East Main.
In addition, crews are reducing some of the drop-offs from the sidewalk to the street to make for safer transitions for pedestrians. Deal said that the Federal Highway Administration gives “Tiger Grants,” which are administered by the Georgia Department of Transportation. The City of Statesboro has received funds to expand the Streetscapes project all the way down to College Street sometime in the future.
Georgia Power will bury almost all of the area's overhead power lines and Deal said no delays are expected, as they will bore the underground lines while the rest of the construction is underway. Removing the existing poles will greatly enhance the downtown area's scenic qualities, Deal said, and will also prevent power disruptions from above-ground damage to the power lines.
Construction will be halted in mid-November to assure there will be no major disruptions during the Christmas holiday shopping season. Construction will be resumed after Jan., 2010. Deal said that when crews are putting in the East Main, Siebald, and Railroad Street crosswalks there will be some minor traffic interruptions, but he commented that that construction won't take place until next spring.
Also, Boyum announced that on Thursday, there will be a raffle and auction held at the French Quarter Café, starting at 5:30 p.m., to raise money for “Memory Walk 2009.” Up for grabs are Georgia tickets, Hawks tickets, and many other items. The Memory Walk, which takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday at Mill Creek Park, is the major annual fundraiser for the National Alzheimer's Association Foundation.
“Mornings unPHILtered” airs live Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on statesboroherald.com and also simulcast on WWNS-AM 1240 on the radio. You also can listen anytime at BoroLive.com on statesboroherald.com
Deal came on the show to talk about the progress of the city's downtown Streetscape project that began in May of this year. The project, when finished, will dramatically improve the condition of the roads and sidewalks from the intersection of the Main Streets by the Bulloch County Courthouse all the way to the corner of Savannah and Mulberry Streets.
Originally planning to do both sides of the street at the same time, the decision was made to undertake construction on one side of the street at a time. The main contractor on the project is Y-Delta Corporation of Statesboro, and Deal said they have made very good progress despite weather problems. The phase that crews are doing right now is redoing the sidewalk along East Main.
In addition, crews are reducing some of the drop-offs from the sidewalk to the street to make for safer transitions for pedestrians. Deal said that the Federal Highway Administration gives “Tiger Grants,” which are administered by the Georgia Department of Transportation. The City of Statesboro has received funds to expand the Streetscapes project all the way down to College Street sometime in the future.
Georgia Power will bury almost all of the area's overhead power lines and Deal said no delays are expected, as they will bore the underground lines while the rest of the construction is underway. Removing the existing poles will greatly enhance the downtown area's scenic qualities, Deal said, and will also prevent power disruptions from above-ground damage to the power lines.
Construction will be halted in mid-November to assure there will be no major disruptions during the Christmas holiday shopping season. Construction will be resumed after Jan., 2010. Deal said that when crews are putting in the East Main, Siebald, and Railroad Street crosswalks there will be some minor traffic interruptions, but he commented that that construction won't take place until next spring.
Also, Boyum announced that on Thursday, there will be a raffle and auction held at the French Quarter Café, starting at 5:30 p.m., to raise money for “Memory Walk 2009.” Up for grabs are Georgia tickets, Hawks tickets, and many other items. The Memory Walk, which takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday at Mill Creek Park, is the major annual fundraiser for the National Alzheimer's Association Foundation.
“Mornings unPHILtered” airs live Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on statesboroherald.com and also simulcast on WWNS-AM 1240 on the radio. You also can listen anytime at BoroLive.com on statesboroherald.com