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When Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put him back together again.
And so far, all of Teichert Construction's men can't put Olive Avenue back together again either.
For much of the summer, the company has been at work resurfacing the road. First workers ripped up the old road surface. Then they laid down a new one.
Merced Sun-Star - SUN-STAR PHOTO BY BEA AHBECK Republic ITS (Intelligent Transportation Services) laborer George Gonzales cuts the 'home run' for the copper cable leading to the inductive vehicle loops by the traffic lights at the intersection of W Olive Ave and Snelling Hwy in Merced, Calif. Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. The construction on W Olive Ave is now near completion.
While the $1.8 million job is scheduled for completion by the end of August, it seems there have been some hiccups.
In places the new road surface is either not thick enough and the rock underneath is showing or it is cracking at the seams.
Merced resident George Pendergass, for one, said the new road is faulty.
"I could have hired people and rented the equipment and done a better job than that," said Pendergass, who once worked in the construction business. "If I'd have done a job like that I'd have gotten fired -- and all the crew with me."
Pendergass told the City Council as much at a recent meeting. And now the city agrees.
Merced spokesman Mike Conway said the city is well aware of these problems. "George was right," said Conway. The city won't pay its bill until the problems are fixed, he said. "They are going to go back because we won't pay them if they don't," he said.
Teichert Construction's project manager on the job, Bart Krieger, said it wasn't clear if any mistakes had been made. "What we are in the process of doing is getting more information from the city regarding the test results they (the city) have," said Krieger. "We are in the process of investigating the claims that are being made by the city."
What is wrong: the resurfacing of Olive Avenue in Merced hasn't been done well enough, says the city.
Who's at fault: Teichert Construction, which is doing the job, may not have done the job right.
If you see something broken or in need of repair in your neighborhood, call the Sun-Star Tip List reporter, Jonah Owen Lamb, with your tips at (209) 385-2484 or e-mail jlamb@mercedsun-star.com.
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