Seneca Avenue

Sidewalk and street replacement work on Columbia Avenue is near completion with Seneca Avenue (bottom photo) not far behind.

Five streets in Batavia were scheduled this summer for a  “Complete Streets” approach to upgrading both the roadway in the walkway.

Other streets part of the project this summer are Miller Avenue, Chase Park, and Fisher Park.  The  $320,000 cost is funded by the state's Consolidated Highway Improvement Program.

This year the scope of work includes the replacement of approximately 6,400 linear feet of sidewalks and handicap-accessible ramps on portions of Chase Park, Fisher Park, and Seneca, Miller, and Columbia avenues.

“Whenever we are able to repave or resurface a roadway, we also look at the sidewalks to make sure they are now ADA compliant. They have appropriate widths for wheelchairs and passing lanes,” Tabelski said during the May meeting.

Previously: City sidewalks, outdated lights in line for gradual replacement

Closed, hole-dotted roads, heavy equipment parked in yards, and the smell -- the odor of open sewers -- residents around North Street are getting fed up with the months-long sewer repair project.

When work started in July, the expectation was that the worked would be completed by early September. It's now Nov. 1 and there's seemingly no end in sight.

WBTA's Geoff Redick spoke with Project Manager Mike Amadori of Tom Greenauer Development, who reportedly told Redick the company will "probably be facing litigation" over the delayed project.

The work is being done on North Street, Ross Street, Miller Avenue and Seneca Avenue.

"It's very annoying," Mary Beth Suozzi told WBTA News. She lives at 156 Ross St. "Every morning I take my son to school, and I don't know which way I'm going – and then when I come back, I'm blocked off," she said.

Sometimes, Suozzi's own driveway is obstructed by machines, preventing her from leaving for as much as a half-hour.

"The sewer smell is really bad," she continued, "...it permeates through the whole house."

She also noted that the loud noises often shake her house and that the Greenauer crews were "pretty rude" when they were on scene. (Currently, Greg Post General Services of Batavia is subcontracting, and Suozzi says that crew is more pleasant.)

There's apparently no official explanation for why the project is delayed.

For the complete story, click here.