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Utica delays mill-and-fill contract after bids exceed CHIPS funding; city expands micropaving pilot
Summary
City engineer said initial mill-and-fill bids came back over budget against state CHIPS funds; the city rebid with adjusted quantities and plans a special meeting to award the contract. Officials also described a micropaving pilot to extend pavement life on selected streets.
Utica Common Council members heard on Monday that mill-and-fill paving bids came back higher than the city's expected state CHIPS funding, delaying a contract award and prompting a rebid.
City Engineer Nick Breidenbecker told the council that the city waited for New York State to release its budget and CHIPS allocations before soliciting bids. "Once released, that following week, we put our bid out," Breidenbecker said. He said the first round of bids returned above the available CHIPS amount, so the city adjusted quantities and reissued the solicitation; bids are due June 26 and the board of contracts will canvas the results with a special meeting planned to award the work the week after.
The delay affects the mill-and-fill portion of Utica's 2025 paving program. Breidenbecker said the city did not remove streets from the program when rebidding, but trimmed some quantities to better align with state funding. He described the schedule discussed with contractors — starting work after July 4, similar to recent years — and said the city is being "a little more responsible about how we're spending the money."
Council members also heard details about a separate, city-funded micropaving pilot intended to preserve streets and extend service life. Breidenbecker described the material as "a makeup of stone, asphalt in a slurry-type emulsion" with latex and additives that increase elasticity to reduce cracking; he said the treatment can add about seven years of life to streets in the target condition. The city rolled out half the pilot and has observed varying performance: Verrick Street initially drew complaints but is now "healed," while some tight-radius or smaller roads appear to be poor fits for the product. The contractor has agreed to address substandard sections.
Public comment at the meeting echoed infrastructure concerns. Francis Brown urged a broader overhaul of streets and underground systems and called for greater transparency in city operations. "Utica, the city of opportunities," Brown said, urging officials to fix broken infrastructure and improve openness.
No final contract was awarded at the meeting. Breidenbecker said the mill-and-fill award will be handled after the rebid canvass and at the special board meeting set to review bids, with a release of the final street list after award.
