SAN BENITO — The work on Shafer Road is much closer to being done.
More than half the road project is completed. Where it is finished, a smooth, newly-resurfaced road resides.
With a portion still left to be completed, the work on the rest of the road will continue until the end of the month.
Adan Gonzalez, the Streets Public Works Director said the recent rainy weather had hindered work on Shafer but this week work crews started back up again.
They’re working on the drainage, curb and gutter, Gonzalez said.
The second and final phase of the Shafer Road project began last month.
But the very first phase started in the summer.
The first phase of the work has been completed from Williams Road to the Berta Cabaza Middle School campus.
The first phase rebuilt Shafer from Paso Real — FM 509 — to the drainage ditch near Berta Cabaza.
The second phase will run from the east side of the ditch on Shafer to Williams Road.
Because of this ongoing project, all vehicles are required to use the Paso Real/FM 509 entrance.
This change has affected traffic to and from Berta Cabaza and residents in the Alameda Subdivision.
“The Williams Road entrance to Shafer Road will be closed to all traffic,” Interim City Manager Art Rodriguez said. “All motorists wishing to travel on Shafer Road will be required to use the FM 509 entrance.”
When it is finally finished, the newly-reconstructed road promises to be better than before.
Upon completion, the $668,100 Shafer Road construction project will feature a new 28-foot-wide, two-lane street from FM 509 to Williams Road with curbs and gutters, as well as a concrete sidewalk, to facilitate the safe flow of student pedestrian traffic along the road.
Not only are crews working on Shafer Road but they also are working on a long list of city streets.
Just recently, Gonzalez said crews have started on the 1 ½ blocks of Palo Rosa.
Yesterday, the small area of Palo Rosa looked like its surfaced had been scraped clean.
Like many streets in San Benito, Palo Rosa is getting some much needed tender loving care and a facelift.
Crews have begun stripping away the cracked surface to make way for a smoother, cleaner, and newer road.
“They’re reclaiming the subgrade,” he said. “They got about 30 to 50 feet of concrete curb to repair.”
They will also continue fixing potholes.
Gonzalez said he already has one crew working on potholes around the city but wants to add a second crew.
Mayor Celeste Sanchez encourages the public to log on to the city website to see a list of streets currently under construction.
There, they can see which streets are being worked on and what streets will be up next for repairs.
According to the city and the list, Centro Street, Franklin Street, and Alamo Street are the next in line to be worked on.
Despite objections by some residents, Sanchez said the city is doing all they can to work on the streets. The aim of the list is to show residents of the city’s progress.
If not for the list, residents might think streets are not being worked on, Sanchez said.
