Road Work On Hill Begins In May

On several streets on the Hill neighborhood of East Greenwich, gas and sewer lines have been replaced, roads have been torn up and patched, torn up again and patched again.

"We've had lots and lots of calls from residents of Reynolds and Mawney," said DPW head Joe Duarte.

The town will be repaving those and Prospect and Friendship streets in May. Because the Hill streets are narrow and there is little uniformity, Duarte invited residents to a meeting Thursday night to discuss the upcoming work.

"This is not easy," said Duarte. "It's going to take longer than other roads."

Some areas have curbing and sidewalks; some areas have an asphalt berm in place of a curb. Some areas have no curb at all. Unlike other neighborhoods, the Hill presents more of a challenge, Duarte said. Each property is different.

The plan is to repave and add curbing, a project that will take about four weeks, estimated Duarte.

During Thursday night's meeting at Swift Community Center, workers called out a number of different addresses hoping to talk to owners about the property's special circumstances. For instance, there are three houses on Prospect Street with steps that extend to the street. If curbs are installed, what do the homeownes what to happen to those steps?

Or what about the house with cobblestones lining the street? Or the extra curb cuts (the curb cuts to nowhere) found throughout the Hill? Workers are taking each on a case by case basis.

Interestingly, said Duarte, workers have learned that the asphalt layer was not as deep as they'd thought. As a result, the plan is for workers to grade the surface, then apply a 2-inch "binder," followed by a 2-inch top coat.

Duarte estimated the work would take four weeks. It will be a mess but, he said, "it'll look nice when it's finished."

If you live on Prospect, Mawney, Friendship or Reynolds and you missed Thursday night's meeting, contact the Department of Public Works at 886-8618 to see if they have any questions for you.