The unmistakable aroma of new asphalt is coming soon to residents living on Langley’s Second Street hill and nearby roads.
A construction project will scrape off the top deteriorated portion of several roads and repave it with new asphalt that should last the next 10 years, said Stan Berryman, public works director.
Road crews will be working Second Street (Anthes to DeBryun), DeBryun Avenue (Second to Third streets), Third Street (DeBryun to city limits) and Park Avenue (Third to Fourth streets).
Repaving will occur only where asphalt currently exists, Berryman explained. However, asphalt will extend onto gravel or grass on portions of the south side of Second Street up to private property lines.
“The easiest way to tell how far the asphalt will extend is to look at telephone poles,” he explained while recently walking the paving route with a Record reporter. “That usually indicates where city property ends.”
There are no sidewalks along the streets and parking is permitted with few restrictions.
The $1.2 million federally-funded project is part of Langley’s 2018 Road Preservation plan. The Second Street project had been approved by the city council to include a walkway and dividing device, known as an extruded curb.
The six-inch curb provides a five-foot wide path where vehicles are not permitted to drive or park. One such walkway currently exists on Cascade Avenue. An extruded curb would have provided a designated area for pedestrians to walk up or down the hill on Second Street west of Spyhop to Park Avenue. It would have extended a current painted walkway near the restaurant.
However, the separate walkway feature was eliminated after it was discussed Aug. 20 at a council meeting.
Council members debated the merits of parking versus pedestrians after learning an estimated 14 parking spaces would be lost to the new path.
Councilwoman Dominique Emerson said the extruded curb would create an additional safer pathway for people who frequently walk Langley’s streets.
A motion by Councilman Bruce Allen to remove the extruded curb passed 4 to 1 with Emerson voting against it.
Berryman said pedestrians will have a wider area along the side of the repaved roads, but they’ll have to maneuver around parked vehicles.
The paving project is expected to begin in September and be completed in one week to 10 days. It will be put on hold during Djangofest, which is Sept. 19-23.
