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Sidewalks installed along Whitmore Avenue
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New, replacement and fill-in curb, gutter and sidewalk have been installed in recent weeks along Whitmore Avenue as the city prepares for a street overlay.

A new surface will be given Whitmore Avenue between Central Avenue and Moore Road beginning early to mid October.

The sidewalk work was ordered as part of a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) process to fund new curb, gutter and sidewalk on Fourth, Fifth and Sixth streets as well as a city program to replace damaged or missing sections.

Work has included making corners handicapped accessible and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), said City Engineer Toby Wells.

Motorists using Whitmore Avenue have been inconvenienced since August when the city began cutting into the street surface to replace water valves under the asphalt. The water system improvements - to increase water flow and repair deficiencies - were accomplished through a $123,315 contract with Allen A. Waggoner Construction. Officials said it made more sense to make the improvements first rather than do an overlay first and have to cut up the new surface to make the repairs.

The Ceres City Council recently approved a $807,395 contract with Knife River Construction to overlay and rehabilitate Whitmore Avenue. The project will be accomplished in two phases with Central Avenue to Rose Avenue being done first. The segment from Rose Avenue to Moore Road will be done last.

The project is being funded by nearly $400,000 in federal funds and the remainder in gas tax funds.

The city has also hired Precision Concrete Cutting to plane down up to 300 sidewalk locations that present tripping hazards for pedestrians. The company uses a patently process to cut a section of raised sidewalk at a slope as opposed to the traditional grinding method.

The new method is cleaner and cheaper in repairing. The city has allocated $20,000 to pay the Foster City company to perform the work. In most instances sidewalks that are a quarter to 2 1/2 inches different in elevation qualify for planing. The company boasts that it can save cities 77 percent over traditional remedies.