GENEVA —
Problem solved.
There was a good reason for traffic in Geneva on Thursday morning — workers ground down the road surface where routes 534 and 84 meet, creating a tire-gripping texture at the intersection.
The aggregate in the asphalt had worn smooth in the downhill areas to the Route 84 intersection at Route 534, and a technique called “micro-grinding” was completed Thursday morning to fix the lack of traction.
Geneva City Manager Jim Pearson acknowledged the high rate of crashes at the intersection and vowed to find a way to fix the problem and finance the solution.
City streets superintendent Tim Bittner said the project cost $6,700 — lower than the original $7,000 estimate.
“And we got more done than we anticipated,” he said. “Not only did Boca Construction fix the intersection, we thought we would only do the south side of the road. They actually did the east and west sides of the intersection as well, plus they fixed the bump on Austin Road and the bump on Route 20 in front of Atomic Tint where the water wasn’t draining.”
“They really went above and beyond for us and did a fantastic job,” he said.
Bittner said the construction at the intersection is finished, but striping the road may have to wait until the surface is cleaned and prepared for painting.
“But the road is clearly marked with signs, so it is not a safety hazard,” he said.
The new, rougher surface won’t harm snowplows and should hold up for many years, Bittner said.
“Micro-grinding puts a course grade back on top of the road,” he said. “It works very well. A lot of communities have done this for many years.”
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