A recent asphalt bid opening put an unexpected smile on the face of Sam Goade, director of Public Works.

Goade estimated $75 per ton for asphalt concrete and paving by contractors when developing his 2007 construction budget. The city''s low bid came in at $59.35 a ton in 2006. The bid for asphalt concrete includes the paving of roads by the bidding company.

The low bid, by DECCO Contractors, came it at $54.40 a ton.

"It was totally unexpected," Goade said, "for asphalt to come down a bit."

Fluctuating oil prices can play havoc with the price of asphalt, one of the main ingredients for road construction and repair. The recent stability of the price, according to an asphalt supplier, comes from speculation on pricing made last year.

John Reeves, owner of Asphalt and Fuel Supply in Tulsa, Okla., said suppliers and users of asphalt products stocked up at the end of 2006, pushing the price artificially higher. The supply and price of oil products remained better than expected.

"It was a false shortage," Reeves said. "People bought too much and the demand has decreased."

Avoiding the expected jump in price will allow Public Works to cover more of the list of the streets needing service. DECCO would pave streets in the older sections of the city, while Public Works would work on streets in newly annexed areas.

"We have been talking about paving streets in the annexations for three years," Goad said. "The time has come."

The bid for asphalt cement, which the city street crew uses for its paving, came in at $37.49, compared to $36.75 last year.

Goade, in his projections, used $50 per ton for his construction budget. At the top of the list are the streets connecting the new elementary school to a paved road. The west elementary, at the corner of Grimsley and Miller roads, is scheduled to open this fall. Roads leading to the school are dirt.

Brandon Enterprises, which is developing the Legendary Subdivision around the school, will pay for materials to pave the road, according to Alderman Jim Reed. Reed also works for Springdale schools and lives in the newly annexed area.

"People up here are really anxious to have the roads paved and the school is, too," he said.

Since the roads near the school have been in city limits for a short time, the street department doesn''t know how much work each road will need for paving. Some roads may need more work on the sub-base to ensure the pavement will last, Goade said.

"We will start at the top of the list and keep paving until we run out of money," Goade said.