Public Works Miscellany

It has been Public Works week in my world with various issues including the Hwy 3 closure. As a result of sharing that information, the good folks on Facebook who are friends with the City asked some good questions about two other roads — Dakota Street and 8th Street. Below is an update for those that are curious.

Hi everyone. Here is an update on 8th Street and Dakota Street. First, both of these culverts became too damaged for traffic during the floods caused by Tropical Storm Fay. Because they occurred as the result of a weather event with the possibility of FEMA funds, the city applied for grant money to make repairs.

Unfortunately, neither project received federal funding and the application process caused delays in beginning work on Dakota Street. Basically, to receive the grant, Kannapolis couldn’t begin work to fix the road until FEMA had reviewed the merits of the application. Not the best scenario, but it was important to make sure there weren’t funding sources outside of city dollars to make the repair.

Now, for the good news. Dakota Street is currently being repaired and is slated for a mid-May opening. The bad news is that 8th Street is a very expensive fix (in excess of $1 million or $.003 on the property tax rate). There is no time frame for 8th Street due to the cost.

To give you an idea of the needs for both these projects and others, check out the presentation given at the council retreat in December. You can access it by visiting this page on the city website and clicking on “City Council Retreat Transportation, Stormwater and Pedestrian Five Year Plan.”

http://www.cityofkannapolis.com/co_services_display.asp?id=1427&deptid=1