Repairing damaged residential streets is a multiple-stepped process that may look incomplete at first but just takes time, according to city of Phoenix officials.

Recently, the city completed step one of the overlay process on McNeil Street in Ahwatukee Foothills. There’s still more to come and the street won’t be fully repaired until next spring.

The first step of the process is the crack sealant. That’s what took place in Ahwatukee in January. The contractor and city staff left the street with some cracks closer to the curb not filled but that was on purpose, according to Syd Anderson, engineering supervisor in street maintenance.

“It may look incomplete and like some of the cracks weren’t addressed,” Anderson said. “When we do the crack seal for the overlay program, as part of the overlay process we pave the edge of the street along the curb. If we were to put crack seal in that portion we’d just be taking it up right away and wasting money so we leave that portion of street alone because it will be covered up with asphalt rubber. We concentrate on the level portion of the street. It’s more cost effective that way.”

The next step of the process will be for city contractors in the concrete program to come and inspect the sidewalks and make sure all ADA requirements are being met. If they aren’t, the city will need to re-do the sidewalks. All of this work needs to be done before the final overlay takes place.

Each spring streets around the city are identified for the overlay process. Only streets that have all of the previous work completed will receive the final treatment.

Residents should get a notice in the mail before any work is done on their street. The streets that had cracks sealed in Ahwatukee in January are expected to have the final overlay done in 2014. Depending on the contractor’s schedule the overlay could happen in March or April of 2014.

• Contact writer: (480) 898-7914 or ahurtado@ahwatukee.com