Homestead advances Chrome Avenue infrastructure work; council approves utility contracts and budget increase

City of Homestead officials on Feb. 11 presented a multi-part plan to rebuild Chrome Avenue and associated infrastructure, outlining permitting and procurement milestones aimed at keeping the project ahead of a March 2028 grant expiration. The City Council earlier in the meeting approved several municipal actions, including a $1.25 million budget increase to the workers’ compensation fund and contracts for utility software, architectural cost estimating and lab testing services.

The presentation to the Committee of the Whole described the Chrome Avenue work as three linked packages. A project consultant said parts A and B — described as “chrome improvements” and water-main upgrades — must be done together because the water-main permitting drives the schedule. The consultant said the team expects to finish the signed design by June, allow roughly four months for permitting, and start procurement in October with an aim to complete procurement by December so a construction contract could be in place in January; construction was estimated at about 18 months. “Part A and part B…the controlling factor for us currently is the water main improvements because the permit is something that's started recently,” the project consultant said.

City staff said they will require contractors to use a rolling‑operation approach to limit business disruption, completing work block by block before moving on. The presentation also grouped three capital efforts — water, sewer and roadway — into a combined delivery approach; staff cautioned that coordination raises schedule complexity. Council members and staff repeatedly noted the risk of unexpected underground conditions and said the plan aims to build schedule contingency. One council member observed past local projects were delayed…