At long last, life is about to get a lot smoother on Columbia Street.
The concrete maker providing the final, smooth layer for the city’s $17-million reconstruction of the rutted corridor will finally ship the much-needed asphalt as soon as this week.
A manager at Willets Point Asphalt Corporation blamed the delays in repairing the vital strip, which has been as bumpy as a kid with poison ivy for more than a year, on a broken asphalt maker.
“We had a breakdown at the plant and when we are down, we can’t service anyone,” said the plant manager, Larry Santana, who, by the way, is a cousin of guitar legend Carlos Santana.
But with the plant up and running again, the new asphalt will be on the ground by next week — as long as the weather stays clear and not too cold, said a spokesman for the city’s Department of Design and Construction.
“It should be quick from here,” said the spokesman, John Ryan Martine.
The conclusion to this cement saga is long overdue, as everyone who has tried to walk, pedal or drive to the South Brooklyn waterfront over the last year knows all too well.
Potholes the size of Vespas snare all wheeled vehicles, orange cones stand like flares on every bumpy corner, and construction workers send trucks on new routes daily.
“It’s an obstacle course,” said Roger Rigolli, a resident and business owner in the area.
“The street felt like a tactical driving course for way, way too long.”
