WESTOVER — The City of Westover’s street department has continued its commitment to not only keeping the city’s roads clean, but also safe and up-to-date.
“They keep our roads safe for not only motorists, but also pedestrians,” said Westover First-Ward City Council member Ralph Mullins. “We have a lot of smaller, neighborhood roads that they are able to work on and make any repairs necessary.”
According to information obtained in a FOIA request from The Dominion Post, the street department currently has two full-time employees, both of whom receive full benefits, including a combined salary of about $107,000. The street department’s crew is mainly responsible for maintaining street signs, painting curbs and other small maintenance projects when necessary.
Within the city, the department is responsible for maintaining 24 miles of roadway. Most larger jobs, such as street paving, are outsourced. This is because some of the roadways, such as Holland Avenue, which is one of the main roadways in the area, are controlled by the Division of Highways.
“The City of Westover, the administration, as well as council as well as the city’s street department is limited in what they can do on those state highways,” Mullins said.
Although the city is restricted on what it can and cannot do on certain roadways, it is not uncommon for the city to partner with the DOH to assist in improving those roadways. This has been the case in repairs currently being made on Solomon Road, an area off Chaplin Road annexed by Westover.
During the March 15 city council meeting, Westover City Attorney Tim Stranko said construction on Soloman Road is currently underway, and contractors were recently deployed to the area. He said the city is optimistic the project will be complete in April and the current estimated cost of the project is $160,000.
Stranko also addressed construction and repairs on Holland Avenue during the council meeting. He added although the project is the responsibility of the DOH, the city plans to assist in repairing and updating the roadway.
Before the project can begin on Holland Avenue, the underlying structure of the road must be investigated given its age. Initial costs of the project include the engineering report set at $10,000 and an underground camera inspection set at $13,000.
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