Council delays Fourth East Street reconstruction to 2026, approves budgeting and uses LRIP grant

Preston's council decided to move the major repair of Fourth East Street into next year's construction program after engineers said surface work could not start this summer without disrupting nearby schools.

The issue matters because the project was originally budgeted this fiscal year at $750,000 but engineering work and testing now push construction into mid-2026 to avoid closing the road during the school year.

Councilmember Terry Larson reported that core sampling, aerial surveys and other preconstruction work still must be completed; engineers estimated the earliest heavy equipment could be on site would be Aug. 1 and that the full reconstruction would take about 50 working days. Larson recommended continuing preparatory work now and moving the majority of the construction budget into the next fiscal year.

Larson proposed using roughly $50,000 from the current budget for engineering and returning about $700,000 to the general fund to be reallocated in the next fiscal year. He also reported the city has been approved for a Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) grant of approximately $100,000 that can be applied to the project.

Council motioned to approve placing the Fourth East Street repair in the 2025–26 budget and to return $700,000 to the general fund; the motion passed with all in favor. Councilmembers said the plan is to advertise for bids in February so work can start the week after school ends next summer and finish before school resumes.

Ending: Staff will continue engineering and testing immediately, include the project in the 2025–26 budget, apply the LRIP grant, and go to bid in February 2026 to begin construction in late spring/early summer 2026.