The 16th Street overlay project in Perry has officially wrapped up, though City staff admits it wasn’t without a few hiccups along the way.

City Administrator Sven Peterson said the contractor Des Moines Asphalt initially put down the overlay on the one-block stretch between Taft and Lucinda streets in the early parts of the summer. However, before long residents noticed areas where the new road was buckling and cracking. Peterson said the problem was identified, and on July 15th the contractors corrected the mishap. “There was an issue with some of the pavement that they put down. We’re thinking (it) may have been opened up to traffic a little bit early, because the two layers of asphalt that they put down did not bind together. So one slipped a little bit, and that’s what caused those cracks and that rutting out there. But that area has been milled up and they put a fresh layer of asphalt down, so now it’s perfectly smooth.”

Peterson added, the work is under warranty, so if there are any further issues with the road related to the overlay, Des Moines Asphalt will come back to fix it at no charge. However, in the week since the project was finished, the City has reported no additional problems.