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Machesney Park engineers race to obligate $4.05 million before June 30 deadline for Mitchell Road resurfacing
Summary
Village engineer told the board the Mitchell Road resurfacing project came in under budget but must be contracted by June 30 to secure RBI/MFT funds; bid opening set for June 23 and ADA ramp work will be added to the contract to avoid a lengthy environmental review.
Village Engineer Chris Dapkin told the Machesney Park Village Board on June 3 that the Mitchell Road resurfacing project came in “well under budget” and that the village must obligate about $4,050,000 in RBI funds by June 30 to secure the award.
Dapkin said Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) procedures require Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) advertisements to run for two weeks in the IDOT circular, so the earliest the village can open bids is June 23 — the same day as the board meeting. “We’ve gotta have those monies obligated by the June 30,” he said, adding that the board packet would include a memo and that more information would follow as bids are opened.
The engineer described an ADA compliance issue discovered during the environmental review: a crosswalk and path at the north end of Mitchell Road are not up to current ADA standards. Dapkin said triggering a more extensive environmental process would threaten the funding. To avoid that, Norwest — the contractor that previously installed ADA ramps on North Second Street — agreed to rebuild the deficient ramps on a time-and-materials basis, with the cost to be tracked and added to the resurfacing contract.
Dapkin said IDOT’s Office of Local Roads and the village condensed the approval schedule to meet the deadline. He cautioned there were “a lot of loose ends” but that staff expected to have contracts in place in time to obligate funds.
The board did not take a formal vote on the resurfacing package at the June 3 meeting; Dapkin’s presentation was framed as a status update and a request to proceed with bidding and contract execution so the MFT/RBI funds could be obligated.
Background: Dapkin said the village’s resurfacing package will include work on Mitchell Road and that the project came in under the village engineer’s opinion of cost and under the RBI allotment. He also noted that the village must follow MFT advertisement timing rules, which constrained the schedule.
Looking ahead: Dapkin said staff will provide bid results and a contract recommendation as soon as possible so the village can meet the June 30 obligation deadline.
