Storm water improvements include curb and gutter, curb inlets (where water enters the system), and the necessary underground piping system.
Many of the needed street projects were initially constructed without any underground storm water systems. New storm water infrastructure will be added on several Westwood street projects, in addition to other needed drainage areas where the existing piping systems are old and deteriorating.
Streets in need of repair have telltale signs that reveal their need for attention. Although what's happening below the street surface may not be visible, aging pavement will determine what's happening below the pavement surface. Over time, as the pavement surface loses flexibility, small cracks appear. Over the 50-year expected life-span of a street, the cracks worsen and move into the pavement sub-grade, which requires costly street reconstruction.
Most of the street repair projects that have been completed in Westwood in the recent past have been mill-and-overlay street projects, where only the top surface area of the street is shaved off, and a new asphalt driving surface is applied.
Many of the needed remaining street projects for Westwood will require a complete rebuilding of the subgrade, asphalt base and surface course of asphalt - not just a simple repair or overlay. These types of projects are more expensive to complete.