NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — For weeks, navigating construction on Sweeney Street in North Tonawanda has been a daily battle for residents.
City crews are adding a storm line extension for the new 1100 Sweeney subdivision, one that the mayor said would take about three weeks, but six weeks later, work is still being done.
“It’s been crazy,” Sweeney Street resident Trish Barrett said. “Like, I have a Medicaid cab come, and they don’t know where they’re going once they come off of Twin City highways…The sewers are what is a pain in the butt.”
WATCH: North Tonawanda neighbors concerned over lengthy Sweeney Street construction
That’s not the only construction project. This is the same stretch of road, adding the $2.8 million Sweeney trail bike path extension.
One person took to Facebook with a ruler to say the path added a 5-inch ‘cliff’ to their driveway.
Mayor Austin Tylec responded to that post, providing more clarity to residents on when things will be completed and reopen:
“…Thank you for sharing your concerns. Everyone at City Hall is frustrated as well. There are two separate projects happening at the same time on Sweeney Street. One is the storm line extension for the new 1100 Sweeney subdivision, which is being handled by a private contractor. The other is the public bike path extension project.
The storm line work began almost six weeks ago. The city was notified the day the contractor started, and we moved quickly to get detour information out to residents. We were originally told the work would take about three weeks, but there were delays caused by material issues, unexpected conflicts between private lines and the mains, and weather. Our city engineering office has been on site every day to keep the contractor on track.
The full one thousand feet of storm line has now been installed, but there were disagreements between contractors about whether the stone base was compacted correctly. To make sure the road does not end up with long term potholes or sink holes, the city brought in an independent testing company. The compaction failed, so the contractor was required to fix the issue before paving. I am told the paving for this storm line work should be completed by Monday, which will end the detour.
The public bike path project is moving along, with the binder layer down and paving scheduled to run alongside the storm line work.
I completely understand the frustration, especially with the drop from the street to driveways. If you or any resident is struggling to safely access your driveway, please contact the city engineering office right away. That is the fastest way for us to respond directly to specific locations and make adjustments as needed.”
