The City of Senatobia has entered an agreement with an engineering firm to develop a plan for repairing several streets.
Aldermen unanimously approved payment of $37,202 to Mendrop Engineering for a complete study of approximately 90 miles of streets inside the city limits to prioritize the ones in most need of improvement, whether it be an overlay of asphalt or patching and sealing cracks and potholes.
“It sorts out what streets need what,” engineer Steve Bigelow said during a presentation to city leaders. “We have done 16 of these evaluations across Mississippi. We drive and videotape every street and develop a plan for repairs.”
Bigelow said the plan includes ranking every street in the city on a scale from 1-10 with an emphasis on cost-benefit ratio. For instance, a street in need of repairs that typically receives more traffic can lead to a higher-cost benefit, especially if it requires an asphalt overlay.
“There is alternate technology that is more cost effective than repaving streets,” Bigelow explained. “There is crack sealing and fog sealing for streets that have minimal damage in certain spots. The end game is always to prevent water infiltration because that’s what causes damage in the first place.”
A report on the state of city streets is expected to be finalized sometime this summer. Bigelow said the report addresses how to prevent streets, including the ones that don’t require much repair, from further deterioration.
“I believe this is a great opportunity to improve our streets and the most efficient way to do it,” said Alderman Brian Hale.
The City of Senatobia is in the early stages of issuing up to $4 million in general obligation bonds to pave and repair streets. Mayor Greg Graves said the bulk of the money would be paid back using internet sales tax funds to prevent a tax increase for citizens.
