City to resurface Erie Lackawanna Trail; CIB commits $253,907 toward $927,793 contract

The Capital Improvement Board approved funding for resurfacing the Erie Lackawanna Trail, voting to commit $253,907.98 from CIB funds toward a $927,793 contract with Milestone Contractors North. The board also approved related construction engineering and pavement-safety work for the corridor.

Commissioner Prieto moved to approve the resurfacing contract; the motion passed on a roll-call vote of six in favor and none opposed. The board separately approved a $45,000 construction-engineering contract with First Group Engineering for the resurfacing and a $13,375 contract with HighStar Traffic for pavement markings and signs at the Northcott and River Drive crossing.

A speaker during the discussion said the city received paving bids in May and had to secure funding before awarding the contract. The resurfacing project is an initiative pushed by the mayor’s office; the presenter said the balance of project funding will come from sources outside the Capital Improvement Board in addition to the CIB’s $253,907.98 contribution.

Board members discussed safety at the Northcott trail crossing, noting that northbound drivers coming from Munster have limited sightlines because the bridge approach is high while the trail is lower. The HighStar Traffic contract covers retroreflective signs and thermoplastic pavement markings for improved visibility at the trail crossing. The board also discussed the vendor market for traffic-control services and said HighStar operates in the region as a traffic-management contractor.

All votes on the trail resurfacing, the construction engineering contract and the pavement-signs work were recorded as 6-0 with no dissent.

The board’s action authorizes construction engineering and the resurfacing contract to proceed; the meeting did not record a construction start date.