Nicolas Road Ready for Make-Over

Rain and normal wear and tear left a stretch of Nicolas Road haggard, so the city moved a re-paving project to the top of its to-do list.

"That’s been an area that’s been deteriorated for a while,” said Greg Butler, Temecula’s public works director.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the Temecula City Council unanimously approved the project to re-pave the roughly three-fourths of a mile two-lane section of Nicolas Road, from Joseph Road to Calle Girasol.

The $239,285.75 contract, part of Temecula’s Citywide Pavement Rehabilitation Program, was awarded to Kad Paving Company. The City Council approved appropriations to support the program as part of its Capital Improvement Program during the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Through the program, the city prioritizes areas in the city most in need of repairs.

The project is expected to take between six to eight weeks, but even that estimate is uncertain, Butler explained. Although the surface of the road shows obvious signs of wear and tear, potholes and fissures, workers won’t know what’s really going on until they get below the surface.

After the pavement cracks, the water accumulates underneath and continues to ruin the thoroughfare, Butler said. “Under the asphalt, if we find that there are unsuitable soils under there, then it might take longer,” he said.

The Nicolas Road paving is the first of several pavement projects slated for this year.