By Jeff Kluewer
But the unstable clay subsoil was only the beginning of what became the most challenging project of the Village's 2005 roadway season.
On Shepherd Street the problems began even before the concrete could be removed when a Long Island truckers' strike delayed work almost three weeks.
When the subsurface was exposed, workers found a clay subsoil that would not support a new roadway.
Between 12 and 16 inches of soil had to be removed and replaced with recycled concrete aggregate, a superior material made of pulverized concrete that hardens when wetted and compacted. Then an extra thick asphalt layer was put down, up to 5 inches instead of the usual three and a half.
"We could land a 747 on that street now," Village Administrator Ron Wasson said after the first layer of asphalt was applied, just before Labor Day.
But the job posed many challenges. Traffic to the high school had to be redirected, which was more difficult than might be expected during the summer months due to school construction and the relocation of middle school classes to the high school.
The excavation also exposed the junction boxes for the street lighting system, 13 of which had to be replaced and rewired, causing more delay.
Shepherd Street accounts for about 15 percent of the $3 million Rockville Centre is spending this year to upgrade and repave more than 2.3 miles of roadway on eight local streets, including Capitolian, Princeton, St. Mark's Place, Lee, South Kensington, Vernon and Osmond.
But unless you live on one of the affected streets, you are unlikely to know how involved the work actually is.
Years of inspection precede the decision to repave a particular stretch of roadway, followed by detailed planning and engineering. The work begins well below ground where all the old 4-inch water pipes are removed and replaced with new 6- or 8-inch mains. Then the roadbed itself is prepared, then the curbs, curb cuts, corner ramps and storm drains to improve the drainage system, all before the asphalt surface is laid down.
"These phases can take some time and we are grateful for the patience of our residents on the affected blocks," Rockville Centre Mayor Eugene Murray told residents at the August Board of Trustees meeting.
"The finished projects will enhance the beauty of our neighborhoods and the efficiency and reliability of our infrastructure. And we shouldn't have to inconvenience those neighborhoods for another 40 years," he said.
Since 1990 the Village has repaved more than 32 miles of roadway, approximately 60 percent of Rockville Centre's streets.
