Those of you who don't live on S Clayton Road or don't travel on it won't find this interesting. But for those of us who use it daily - or simply look out the window - it's something we've been hoping for for many years.
I don't know when it was last rehabilitated but it's certainly been a couple of decades (at least). I wish they had removed the hill to my north as it's a danger to us when we pull out of the driveway. But at least the surface is new and all the cracks in the asphalt are gone.
Here's how it looked on July 30.
Looking north
Looking south
Since the end of July workers have removed old drainage tiles from beneath the road (corrugated metal in all cases) and replaced them with corrugated PVC pipe.. They've marked the road with paint and last week workers dug deep rectangular holes (first of the east side, then on the west) and refilled them and covered them with gravel and then asphalt. One of those holes was dug across the road at the end of my driveway.
08/06/25
08/06/25
Then there was a delay until September 9 when work began in earnest.
Above is the repair that was done at the end of my driveway. When the picture was taken, only the east side had been dug.
The idea of doing a side at a time was to allow us to get in and out with our vehicles. But it was too much of a mess (this shot was looking north on 09/09). How to get around all that equipment? Go south, I suppose ... but nothing looked completely open.
Today (09/12) it looks like the "final" work is done. The roadway had been chipped away and the old asphalt hauled away in dump trucks. The road was brushed clean with portable blowers and a machine with wire brushes.
Just before noon it appears the barricades were removed and the road opened to traffic. Here's the same views as my first two pictures. Call it "finished".
Looking north
Looking south
Note: I now understand that asphalt will be laid atop what is there next Wednesday (09/17).. I drove to the New Lebanon library this afternoon and found at least a 2" drop at Hemple Road. It's even worse at the end of my driveway. So a layer of asphalt will even that up. More later.
09/18/26: I woke (about 6 am) to trucks beginning to pass on the road. Was it just trash pick-up or was work begun on the road again? A short while later (about 8 am) I went out for my walk and saw that strips of liquid (what?) had been applied to the surface and I saw trucks gathering both north and south of me.
The strips remind me of the "beet juice" which is applied in the same way when winter storms are expected.
A little later. What is being done?
Early morning I mostly saw trucks assembled at the south end of the road but I could see the work area coming north. Here it is about 1 pm as it reaches Millie's lane.
That large truck in front carried the hot asphalt and he tipped it into the yellow machine behind. That spread the asphalt very evenly. A roller followed and flattened the asphalt out, smoothing it perfectly in the process.
Just passing Millie's lane and becoming even with the south edge of Pinehaven.
The Supervisor
During all this action Parker watched - and barked - as the workers passed our house.
Finished!
Later: Back on 09/30 to add gravel to both sides of the road. Is it finished now?
