SILER CITY — As a part of the town government’s efforts to freshen up the look of downtown, two sections of sidewalk along N. Chatham Avenue were replaced last week.
The sections, which run along the north side of the street between E. Second and E. Raleigh streets, were the first of several that are slated for replacement.
According to Chris McCorquodale, Siler City’s public works director, the idea to repair the sidewalks was the suggestion of the town’s Downtown Advisory Committee. McCorquodale said that when he saw the deteriorated areas of sidewalk, he felt that “patches” would not be adequate and instead chose to replace them.
Replacing the two sections cost $25,000 for which the town used Powell Bill funds, state funds that are provided to municipalities for upkeep of state roads. With the start of the new budget cycle on July 1, McCorquodale hopes to get at least two more sections complete by the end of the year.
The plan is to eventually replace all the sidewalks on N. Chatham Avenue — something that was expected to take two and a half years. But McCorquodale believes that with the progress made so far, that time may be cut to a year and a half. The total cost is not yet determined as it depends on the depth of the concrete and the placement of infrastructure under and around the sidewalks.
Casey Mann can be reached at CaseyMann@Chathamnr.com.