Highway work under way

Crews began work Monday repaving Highway 99W south of Willows in the first of a three-phase project.

The first phase is between County Roads 53 and 57.

Phase 2 will run from Road 53 north to Cedar Street and Phase 3 will run from Road 57 to the southern city limit at Swift Trucking, according to Greg Tyhurst, Willows Public Works director.

Crew supervisor Tom Rico said the first part of Phase 1 will complete within a week.

The first step in each phase requires sealing cracks, including killing the vegetation growing in them.

Tyhurst said the cracks formed "because of the old highway system underneath."

Once the vegetation is burned off, the cracks are filled with rubber.

The next step is to grind off high spots. That is necessary, "because the new pavement will mirror what's underneath," Tyhurst said.

After paving fabric is placed over the entire road surface, Tyhurst said 3,000 tons of asphalt will be laid.

With the paving done, Tyhurst said the shoulders will be raised to Cal Trans standards and the roadway will be striped with fog lines and a double center line with buttons.

The same process will occur in Phases 2 and 3, which Tyhurst expects to begin the first part of August after the federal government releases the funds.

All tolled, the project will cost about $970,000, paid for with federal stimulus money, according to Tyhurst.

Finishing off the project, a weed fabric will be laid along both sides of Tehama Street under the trees. That will be topped with walk-on bark that will help control weeds, hold moisture in the ground and beautify the roadway, Tyhurst said.

Since this is Willows' southern corridor into town, he said the idea is to attract people into to town to shop.