By Tom Tarapacki
The Delaware Park Ring Road, which has not been paved in over 30 years, will soon receive a $300,000 resurfacing thanks to NYS Senator Antoine Thompson.
Thompson announced the funding at a press conference held on the Ring Road Tuesday afternoon.
Delaware’s 1.77-mile Ring Road attracts walkers, bikers and skaters as well as runners on a daily basis. In addition, many running events — notably the tremendously popular Corporate Challenge — are held there every year. However, the surface of the road has numerous cracks and is in serious need of repair.
Thompson, an avid runner since his days as a cross-country standout for Bennett High School, does much of his running on the Ring Road. He said that he was asked by many runners at Delaware Park to do something about the condition of the ring road. Thompson said that, as a runner, he agreed that the road was “in desperate need of resurfacing.”
City Public Works Commissioner Steven Stepniak said that the project will essentially involve just a resurfacing of the roadway, since “the ring road is structurally sound, and has good drainage.” He added that he hopes work will begin in mid-summer 2010, maybe sooner. The work will be done in sections to cause as little disruption for park users as possible.
The $300,000 estimate of the project was based on a per square yard cost of $12 for the 25,000 square yards of Ring Road surface. A modified fine-top will be used, which will make it a smoother surface for in-line skaters. According to Stepniak, the material is also more resistant to deterioration caused by salt and the freeze-thaw cycle.