A vehicle passes patched potholes along East Second Street near Lake Herman Road in Benicia's industrial park, one of the roads scheduled to be re-paved. (Mike Jory/Times-Herald)
BENICIA -- Relief is on the way for Benicia roads, a city official said Monday.

The city this week is set to award two contracts for street resurfacing projects, said Mike Roberts, Benicia's acting city engineer.

One contract, using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, will put a thick overlay of asphalt concrete on East Second Street between Wanger Street and Lake Herman Road.

The second contract, funded mostly by Proposition 1B and gas tax money, will be using slurry seal to resurface four miles of residential streets and patch pavement in about 75 locations in the Benicia Industrial Park where roads have failed.

One such street is Vista Grande Avenue, which will get an asphalt overlay, Roberts said.

The Benicia City Council is expected to award the contracts tonight. The work likely would be completed this year.

Typically, the city does one street-maintenance project a year, Roberts said. However, this year the city is doing two because of federal stimulus funding, he said.

The projects combined will cost nearly $800,000.

"We are doing the most we can with the money we have," Roberts said. "We have a computerized pavement-management program ... and it recommends different surface treatments to be done throughout the city to maximize our dollars."

The work will benefit parts of Benicia's industrial sector, where run-down roads will be fortified for truck traffic.

About to remain available upon completion of the work, city officials say. Public works officials are exploring options for using the funding, such as transferring it to the Rose Drive bike-pedestrian over crossing project.Contact staff writer Tony Burchyns at tburchyns@thnewsnet.com.
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