The Champaign City Council voted 9-0 on Tuesday night to accept a bid from a contractor for the construction of the Bituminous Overlay Project.
Open Road Paving Co. won the project with a bid of about $1.7 million, approximately $300,000 below the estimated cost.
The council also voted on approving an Engineering Services Agreement with Clark Dietz, Inc. for the same project. Another project, Concrete Street Maintenance, was given to G.M. Sipes Construction.
Thomas Bruno, Champaign Deputy Mayor, said the pavement improvement will be welcomed by community members who use the street because there is a crack that’s been spreading for years. He said the poor condition of the street affects the parking on the street by Central High School.
Bruno said that although the students might have to park a little farther because of construction, it will make the street safer for everyone.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“It’s about the narrowing of the road with MTD buses stopping in the lane of traffic,” said Bruno. “We might have to forgo 10 or 15 parking spots right by Central High School to make it a little bit more pedestrian friendly.”
Bruno also said the Concrete Street Maintenance Project will likely be a good opportunity for local businesses.
“It doesn’t make economic sense to bring concrete finisher from Quincy to Champaign to fix a concrete street,” Bruno said. “You can’t effectively do this with the crew coming in from another state.”
Also during the meeting, council member Will Kyles, District 1, suggested the possibility of using software to track the number of minorities employed, and compare the number to the city’s goal.
According to the resolution, Open Road Paving Co. has agreed with the city’s Equal Opportunity in Purchasing Ordinance (EOPO). Currently, 17 percent of their workers are minority employees, both males and females.
“There is participation, and there is a lot of thought that they put in for minority,” said council member Vic McIntosh, District 3.
Construction on Bituminous Overlay Project will begin in May and is scheduled to be complete by October 25.
Earn can be reached at [email protected].
