By Bruce Karnick

A full history of updates including weekly Friday updates are available at www.hastingsmn.gov click on RESIDENTS then under “My Street” click on Construction Updates. The information below was provided by the city website.

What is scheduled for the week of October 2nd?

15th Street East: Sidewalk & Driveways – Concrete sidewalk and driveways will be poured after curb and gutter is completed.

15th Street West: Manhole and Gate Valve Adjustment: Installation and adjustment of cast iron manholes and water valve access covers up to final pavement grade will begin.

Cannon St Area: Concrete Curb and Gutter: Concrete driveway replacement will be completed on 23rd, 24th and 25th St W.

Sidewalk and Driveways: New sidewalk along Cannon Park between 31st St and Hackberry Dr will be installed.

Boulevard Restoration and Seeding: Crews will continue filling in and grading the topsoil in disturbed areas. Reestablishment of boulevard grass will continue with the installation of blown compost seeding on backfilled areas.

Fine Grading: Crews will begin fine grading the gravel base layer on all streets in the Cannon Area in advance of paving. Streets will be signed as “No Parking” zones in advance so streets are clear of parked vehicles and this work can be completed unimpeded.

Asphalt Paving: Weather dependent, paving of the first layer of Next week you may be wondering, why are they cutting into the new pavement on 15th Street West already?

When the first layer of asphalt is placed, most of the manholes and gate valves in the street are left below ground. If you look around the project at the first layer of new asphalt this weekend, you may notice that there are no manhole or gate valve covers visible. This is because the metal castings (which include the covers) have not been installed yet. The gravel base would not be able to be graded accurately if all the structures were set to finished grade because the grading equipment uses wide blades to get a consistent slope on the streets. Additionally, the height of the castings in the street are only able to be set accurately after the first layers of pavement have been placed. Doing so involves cutting out the areas of asphalt around the manholes and gate valves, digging down to them, and installing and adjusting the height of the castings to be close to the eventual level of the final layer of asphalt. Not too high (snowplows and vehicles would hit and damage them) and not too low (to maintain a smooth ride when vehicles cross them.) The areas of removed base gravel and pavement are then patched back in, and the street is ready for the final layer of pavement!

IMPORTANT: IF YOUR MAILBOX HAS BEEN REMOVED DURING THE PROJECT AND HAS NOT BEEN REINSTALLED YET, PLEASE SET IT OUT IN YOUR FRONT YARD SO CREWS CAN PLACE IT BACK IN THE PROPER LOCATION