AUBURN - East Genesee Street should be paved within a couple of weeks, and the rest of the city's unpaved roads are on their way as well.

Auburn Superintendent of Engineering Services William Lupien told members of the city council Thursday that the East Genesee Street project will enter its paving phase on Tuesday. As of right now, the two-year job is 93 percent done, he told the councilors.

Lupien gave his presentation during a business meeting of the city council. The only other item on the agenda, a resolution on power rates for a proposed digester project, was tabled until next week.

Contractors are putting the blacktop down a little later than planned due to an asphalt shortage that has arisen this summer, Lupien said. While the shortage has also affected the price of asphalt, the project should still come in on time and on budget, he said.

After the road is paved, contractor Rizzo Construction will still have to do some work on trees and light posts, Lupien said. The project's ultimate deadline is Oct. 31.

“We should be able to bring this contract home,” he said. “We're going very well.”

The approximately 30 streets that are part of the city's annual road project should also be finished by their Oct. 31 deadline, Lupien told the councilors. The contractor, Paul F. Vitale Inc., has finished patching all but one stretch of road.

A separate contractor will take care of the heater scarifying from Sept. 2 to 26 before the job is finished, he said.

But one stretch has taken longer than expected, Lupien said. Frances Street was originally planned to receive only patches. But after crews started working on it, it became clear that the road needed a total reconstruction, he said.

The unpaved portion of the road should be finished within a week, Lupien said.

“The residents (on Frances Street) are being very, very patient,” he said.

After the meeting, City Manager Mark Palesh said this is the second year Auburn has doubled funding for road work. That shows a lot of effort by the city engineering department, he said.

“We haven't even scratched the surface,” Palesh said. “We need to spend more, but we're doing the best we can with what we have.”

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.