New ramps destroyed as sidewalk project altered
City Council agrees that two ramps on Milam and Fulton should be moved to avoid accidents
By BENJAMIN C. SHARP bensharp@journal-spectator.com

Staff Photo by Benjamin Sharp City of Wharton's Danny Gaona uses a jackhammer to break up a newly constructed handicapped accessible ramp along Milam Street. The ramp will be rebuilt on Fulton.

It's "out with the new" when it comes to the city of Wharton's handicapped accessibility project.

Over the last few days, city crews have used jackhammers and a grad-all to tear out a pair of handicapped ramps just recently constructed as part of the $218,000 project.

That action was at the request of the City Council. At its March 10 meeting, the council approved a change order that makes modifications to the project; specifically, the removal of two of the recently built ramps.

Under the change order, a ramp built along Milam Street, near the Wharton County District Court Building, will be demolished and rebuilt on Fulton Street. Council members have said the ramp poses a traffic hazard and an eyesore as it juts out into Milam Street.

"I believe it would be dollars well spent," Councilman Don Mueller earlier said, referring to demolishing the ramp.

Carlos Cotton, an engineer with Jones & Carter, the firm that designed the project, said the ramp was initially placed on Milam Street so it would not take away from the parking available for the court building.

He presented the council on March 10 several options on how to alter the project. The council approved relocating the ramp to Fulton, as long as the city did the demolition. That will deduct $2,000 from the $9,000 price tag of relocating the ramp.

The council further opted to spend another $10,500 to alter ramps on Fulton Street, just north of the Milam Street intersection. Two ramps constructed there as part of the project have raised additional concern with the council, which believes the ramps narrow the street too substantially. One has since been demolished.

"We need to do it," City Manager Andres Garza Jr. said.