Main St. milling may cause detours

Main Street was scheduled for a makeover beginning yesterday, if weather permitted, according to Ace Mathews of Mathews Construction. The long-awaited repairs to Main Street have been delayed by a rough winter, according to Mathews. They are scheduled to work from Caven Street near the Police Department all the way to Martin Luther King Boulevard.

It's a process that city of Jasper employee Chris Woods said will take a few months, and may necessitate people finding alternate routes while some of the work is done. Main Street near the courthouse will not be available for parking during the process.

The first step is called "milling" and involves taking the top layer of asphalt off so the concrete can be repaired, according to Mathews. The next step is to put on crack seal to make it smoother and to stop water from penetrating joints. The last step is applying a new hot mix surface.

Mathews said most intersections will be open during the process, with only short term closings as parts of the project progress. Houston Street, the main east-west artery through Jasper, is an FM road and will not be affected.