Turlock wraps up rubberized overlays on Hawkeye Avenue, Geer Road

Hawkeye Avenue and Geer Road have new coats in time for fall. The road overlays took four months and cost $2.8 million, paid for by federal funding and local gas taxes.

“It’s crucial that we invest in our city’s infrastructure,” said Mike Pitcock, Turlock director of development services. “Turlock cares about its roads. With very limited funds, we are trying to be as proactive as possible in order to repair and maintain our streets to prevent them from falling into further disrepair.”

Construction on the eastern portion of Hawkeye started April 21 with curb cut-downs for wheelchair access. Street work waited for school to be out to avoid traffic problems for Crowell Elementary, which sits at the center of the Hawkeye stretch, at Geer Road.

That corner and Hawkeye intersections at North Palm Street and North Denair Avenue now sport crosswalks with bright yellow thermoplastic striping, expected to last longer than conventional paint. Other intersections are striped white.

The fresh surface of rubberized asphalt covers what had been a rough, potholed stretch of Hawkeye along Donnelly Park. The repaired portion covers from Dels Lane to North Olive Avenue. Geer Road’s smooth new topping runs from Monte Vista Avenue to Taylor Road.

The do-over for both roads used rubberized asphalt, which lasts roughly 50 percent longer and costs less than traditional paving, notes a city of Turlock report on the process. The rubber adds a deeper black color, skid resistance and significant noise reduction, according to a state recycling website, www.calrecycle.ca.gov.

The two miles of four-lane road diverted about 17,500 scrap tires from landfills. The state produces about 40 million surplus tires annually, but is able to recycle about 75 percent of those.

The projects had been planned for several years, but had to wait for funds to become available.

“The cost to pave these crucial roads was nearly $3 million,” said Mayor Gary Soiseth. “While this is a large price tag, it speaks to how expensive the issue of road maintenance and repair really is. Unfortunately, the taxes we pay on gasoline don’t fully cover the costs of maintaining our streets and roads.”

The local gas taxes paid not quite one-quarter of the cost, with the rest coming from federal money through the Regional Surface Transportation Program.

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Turlock wraps up rubberized overlays on Hawkeye Avenue, Geer Road."