Santa Maria drivers and residents on North Depot Street from West Fesler to West Alvin Avenue may experience delays during slurry seal road work Thursday, Sept. 14 and Friday, Sept. 15. It is recommended to use alternate routes.
Residents in homes on North Depot are advised to park vehicles on a side street during construction hours to avoid inconveniences. All driveways along North Depot Street will be inaccessible during construction until the slurry has cured enough for it to be opened up to traffic.
Souza Construction and its subcontractor, American Asphalt South, under contract with Santa Maria, will begin placement of a slurry seal roadway treatment at the intersection of North Depot Street/North Railroad Avenue and West Fesler Street and to the north up to West Alvin Avenue.
The following week, a crew will arrive to re-stripe North Depot Street with the addition of bike lanes in both directions.
The reconfiguration of this intersection has been addressed previously, and a graphic showing the new design of the intersection can be found on the city’s website https://www.cityofsantamaria.org/depot.
Slurry seal is a thin layer treatment designed to prolong the life of paved roadways. Once the treatment is placed, traffic must remain off of the treated portion of the roadway until the material has cured. This generally takes 30-60 minutes depending on weather conditions.
Access to individual driveways along the roadway will be closed for only 30-60 minutes during the day while the water in the slurry evaporates and the slurry cures. The overall project will last two days.
Once the material is cured, the contractor will open the roadway to traffic.
Driving on the treated roadway surface before the contractor opens the roadway to traffic can result in damage to the surface treatment as well as a vehicle. City staff strongly recommends motorists obey all temporary construction signs and reduce driving speeds in construction areas.
Questions may be directed to the Department of Public Works/Engineering Division, 925-0951 ext. 2225.
— Mark van de Kamp for city of Santa Maria.