Bethlehem has ramped up its in-house street overlay program another notch with the purchase of a $370,000 milling machine from 2013 bond proceeds. Coupled with the purchase of a $225,000 paver in 2012, city officials say they'll be able to cut prep time in half with the milling machine when city crews undertake street overlays and pave more quickly with the new larger paver.

Mayor John Callahan said that a 2012 Citizen Satisfaction Survey was the driving force behind the decision to expand the City's capabilities at improving city roadways. Callahan said that 67 percent of the survey respondents rated street repairs fair or poor.

"We will be more efficient," said Callahan about the hefty investment in equipment, and he added that "more paving in house will stretch overlay dollars."

With about 300 hundred miles of streets and alleys, Public Works Director Mike Alkhal expects to do more overlay work in-house and bid less. According to Alkhal the City generally budgets $600,000 to $900,000 annually on street overlays depending on funding availability from bond proceeds, liquid fuel and federal CDBG monies.

City street crews are currently training on the milling machine by preparing Pine Top Trail and the Fire Lane and Silvex Road intersection for new macadam road surfaces.