Gadsden mayor says crews are rebuilding South Sixth Street to full base, not just resurfacing

Mayor Craig Ford of Gadsden City said the city is redoing South Sixth Street from the base up after crews found rotted material beneath the surface, and that the city’s paving crew has already justified its cost by completing that work.

Ford told listeners that crews initially planned a quicker resurfacing but uncovered rot under the asphalt, prompting city staff to remove the damaged material and rebuild the base so the pavement will last longer. “Let’s just dig it **** deep, and let’s get the base right, and let’s pave it right. So it’ll last for, hopefully, 20 years,” Ford said.

The mayor said the paving crew has also worked on nearby streets and that the crew’s flexibility — working around rain and with varied hours — helped finish the project. He said the paving work took about a week longer than expected because of the rotted material beneath the asphalt.

Ford urged residents to thank the paving crew if they see them and noted the crew’s work has already paid for itself based on the estimated cost of outsourcing the job. He did not provide a contractor name, a final cost figure or a completion date for all nearby streets.

Ford characterized the work as a deliberate investment in the street’s longevity rather than a short-term resurfacing. He described the decision to remove and replace the base as a city policy choice for longer-lasting infrastructure but did not cite a specific ordinance or funding source for the work.

Details clarified from the mayor’s remarks: the extended schedule was due to discovering rotted asphalt under the pavement; the city chose full base replacement rather than overlay; and the mayor said the work aims to extend the life of the pavement to about 20 years. No contract numbers, bid amounts or departmental funding breakdowns were provided in the meeting.