Southwest 38th Street work to be let for bids

Road repairs could be under way on a segment of Southwest 38th Street by April, city engineers say.

The City Council gave city staff permission Tuesday to begin seeking bids on mill and overlay work that will be focused on the one-mile segment of Southwest 38th Street between West Gore and West Lee boulevards. It’s a project city officials have been eying for years, and one that had been set for a complete rebuild in the 2017 Ad Valorem Road program.

But, a new analysis of the street segment found it is suitable for mill and overlay, a technique that grinds off the top layer of asphalt, does any pavement repair work that is necessary, then applies a new layer of asphalt. The result is a road with up to 10 more years of life, at significantly less cost that a complete rebuild would be, said Ward 4 Councilman George Gill.

Gill said rebuilding that one-mile segment would taken up to three years and cost up to $30 million. Mill and overlay on the same segment — which also will include pavement repairs in some areas — would take about six months, and engineers have estimated the project cost at $5.6 million. Letting the project for bids now means a contractor could be selected and work launched in April, city engineers said Tuesday.