Riker Street sidewalk project underway in Salinas

UPDATE 3/2/2017 6:15 p.m.:

The city of Salinas is spending more than $2.5 million to repair old sidewalks and streets.

The most recent project is along Riker Street, where public works crews are replacing sidewalks on both sides of the street between Acadia and San Luis Streets. The month-long construction is costing $220,000.

The city has thousands of miles of sidewalks that are decades old. They’ve deteriorated over the years because of a lack of maintenance and large trees with roots that lifted the concrete.

Salinas Public Works crews said at least five trees will be replaced with Pyrus Aristocrats. Those kinds of trees do not damage sidewalks like sycamore or maple trees.

“Sidewalks are a major issue in Salinas,” said Salinas City Council Member Steve McShane. “We have thousands of miles of sidewalks and many of them are 50-plus year old. So as a result, we see challenges with people walking their dogs, getting to work or school.”

That includes Gary Haas, who walks his dogs through the neighborhood multiple times a day.

“Oh it’s great,” Haas said. “There’s been so many cracks and after one of my knee surgeries, I was having trouble going around the block, I would stumble using a walker but they’re doing a tremendous job on it.”

The Riker Street work is the sixth sidewalk repair project for the city this fiscal year.

“We’ve done Del Monte, we’ve done Los Altos, we’ve done North First Street,” said Don Reynolds, assistant public works director. “All throughout the city we’ve identified. So that way we’re not focusing on one area, we’re not responding to the squeaky wheel. To that end, we also have a very lengthy sidewalk repair list.”

Next up, Central Avenue near Hartnell and Iris Street off of North Main Street.

All of this is being paid for by Measure G funds, a one-cent use and transaction tax for general services that voters passed in November 2014.

There’s also a new source of revenue down the road.

“In the coming months, we are taking an advance of Measure X funds,” McShane said. “That’s a new tax for transportation, where we’ll engage in another million dollars for sidewalk repair.”

In the meantime, they’re asking people to be patient while the work continues, especially parents picking up or dropping off their kids from nearby schools.

Residents can call a city hotline to report unsafe sidewalks or issues with sidewalks at 758-7214.

ORIGINAL POST:

The Salinas City Council has released additional money from Measure G to repair city streets and sidewalks.

By the end of June, the city will have spent $2.6 million on streets and sidewalk repairs, according to city officials.

Officials said the city’s fourth sidewalk repair project began with a one-third-mile stretch of Riker Street to replace damaged sidewalks on both sides from Acacia Street to San Luis Street.

The project will replace five trees that are damaged or missing, grind the stumps and replace them with 24-inch box pyrus aristocrat trees. According to officials, the species does not damage sidewalks as sycamores do.

The city’s arborist is examining three additional trees in an effort to save them.

Much of the work will be done behind Salinas High School. Parents and student drivers are asked to drive carefully in the area.

“Thanks to Measure G funding, the city is becoming a safer place to live. Providing excellent infrastructure is a City Council goal,” said Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter.

Officials said the project will cost about $146,000 and the work will take 35-business days.

KION’s Mariana Hicks will have more at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.