Don’t be alarmed if and when you see workers walking down the medians of 33rd Avenue and 23rd Street throughout this week.
City of Columbus Street Superintendent Clete Borchers said the street department has started its annual spring cleanup of the islands in the middle of the road. Crews are out there with backpack blowers and more scraping off mud and weeds. Street sweepers are also being utilized.
“We do it every spring. We just want them to look nice,” Borchers said.
The crews began their cleanup efforts earlier this week by the Ramada Inn and River’s Edge Convention Center on the south side of town, going north along 33rd Avenue. They will transition to 23rd Street, heading west to the outskirts of town and then heading east until they reach Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). They’ll stop there due to the Nebraska Department of Transportation road-improvement project currently underway on that side of town.
People can expect to see crews working from about 2 a.m. until 11 a.m. each day, Borchers noted, with cleanup set to be finished by Monday, May 22nd. He encourages drivers to use caution and be aware of the street crews walking, particularly in the early hours of the day when it’s still dark outside.
“It’s important we keep them looking nice so that weeds don’t build up,” he said of the road. “Just be looking out for them (City employees).”