Committee approves annual oil-and-chip letting; Bennett's Construction low bidder

The McLean County Land Use Transportation Committee approved a resolution to proceed with the March 19, 2025 material letting for township oil-and-chip road resurfacing in a unanimous voice vote.

Jerry Stokes, speaking for the highway department, said the annual letting funds township resurfacing using Motor Fuel Tax revenue and that each township selects its own mileage. He said Bennett's Construction was the low bidder and has performed similar work in prior years. Stokes estimated work would begin in mid-May and continue through the summer, and he noted that different townships use varying oil and aggregate types that are specified in the bidding process. Member Reeves moved the resolution and Member Abel seconded; the motion passed unanimously.

Stokes said townships typically rotate resurfacing on a roughly five- to six-year cycle and that heavier-traffic roads may be addressed more frequently. He also noted possible coordination with local wind-farm work, identifying the Sapphire Sky Wind Farm as a nearby project that may incorporate some of the same construction activity this season.