Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NEDERLAND — Many of Nederland’s busiest streets are getting a makeover, with work expected to begin next month.

The city council green-lit the $1.3 million project this week, which should be complete before the end of 2021.

Road improvement generally falls into hot mix overlay or concrete pavement rehabilitation, and both efforts require contractor assistance.

Hot mix is blacktopping, and rehabilitation involves cutting up sections of concrete and putting in new panels. Concrete work is more expensive because it creates a longer-term surface.

The 2021 Flexible Pavement (hot mix overlay) Rehabilitation project scope includes work on:

• Boston Avenue between 15th Street and Twin City Highway,
• 20th Street between Helena Avenue to Canal Avenue,
• Intersection of 27th Street and Nederland Avenue,
• Avenue L from Twin City Highway to South 16th Street,
• North 23rd Street from Nederland Avenue to Helena Avenue,
• South 23rd Street from Avenue H to Nederland Avenue, and
• Luling Avenue from Twin City Highway to 14th Street.

Gulf Coast, a CRH Company was awarded the contract following its $728,703.42 bid.

The 2021 Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation project scope includes:

• Avenue H from Twin City Highway to 14^th Street,
• Hardy Avenue from Nederland Avenue to Avenue A, and
• 18^th Street for approximately 500 square yards.

The lowest responsible bidder, Brystar Contracting, was awarded the contract for $588,029.30.

Avenue H has been something of a Nederland focus, with city leaders deciding to tackle it extensively for repair through 2023.

An engineering firm recently inspected it, finding the amount of panels that need to be replaced as “staggering,” city manager Chris Duque said, adding efforts will be made to repair some of the sidewalks along that avenue.

“One of the top priorities of the city council and taxpayers in Nederland is streets,” Duque said. “If we can get more volume and more repairs done, we’re going to do it. We do have the funding available in our street improvement tax fund, so we’re able to go ahead and pay for all of that.”

The city is working with its contractors to finalize contracts, clearing the way for the summer work to begin in the next four weeks.

A schedule will be made available to the public when completed.

“We’re doing a very high profile business area, resurfacing Boston Avenue off of Twin City Highway,” Duque said. “That one is going to require more coordination informing the businesses about our schedule to minimize impact as much as possible. It is important to maintain streets, but it is also important to minimize conflicts and headaches for businesses.”

Duque describes the city’s planned street- and drainage-improvement efforts as “very aggressive in the next few years.”

“A lot of that is being funded locally; some of it is being funded through grant funds,” he said. “People are going to see us tackling projects and moving forward over the next 24 months.”