Public Works details 2025 streets, bike-path and crosswalk plans; bids to include railing and signal options

Kyla, the village’s public works and utility director, told the Public Works Committee that Strand is wrapping up design work for the 2025 Streets and Pedestrian Improvements Project and that the bid package will present a set of alternates for the committee and Village Board to decide later.

The project design calls for concrete through commercial driveway aprons to create a visible contrast with surrounding asphalt, and staff plans to bury existing overhead fiber and power lines where Alliant Energy permits. Kyla said the project includes a reconstructed retaining wall with a light-tan limestone-colored face, a concrete cap and a black-steel railing to match the existing rail along the nearby bike path. “We bid it with 2 different types of rails, 2 different heights, and then just decide later,” she said.

Committee members discussed railing height and costs. Options would be a minimum 3.5-foot railing or a 4.5-foot railing; committee members favored the taller rail for rider safety but asked staff to bring estimated bid differentials. Staff said the bids will include both heights as alternates so the committee can select after bids are received.

The committee also debated how to mark the path where it crosses driveways. Kyla said the concrete driveway surface will show contrast better than asphalt; members asked staff to cost and return with cheaper high-visibility options such as green epoxy striping, white laddered crossings or scribed borders rather than full-area green surfacing. Kyla: “Putting the concrete down, you can do whatever you want after that” and some epoxy treatments may last three to five years, she added.

At the Taylor and Main Street intersection the engineering staff recommended bidding multiple street-light/crosswalk alternatives: overhead, cantilevered signs that span the roadway or smaller, pole-mounted units beside the lane that are removable. Staff noted overhead systems improve visibility but cost more and require concrete foundations that are harder to relocate if a future signal is installed. Committee members said the crossing near a school should have robust visibility similar to other major crossings in the village.

Staff described schedule and milestones: advertisement for bids in March, pulverization and streets work targeted to be completed by Aug. 22 to avoid school‑bus impacts, and full project completion with bike-path construction and restoration planned for September. Staff also said they will bid some items as alternates — for example Johnson Health Path and a more extensive intersection reconstruction at Progress Drive/Bonney Road — so higher-cost items can be removed if bids exceed budget.

An engineer’s update noted development activity that could affect traffic work (Quarry Ridge, West Lawns, an Amazon-related submittal) and that utility and landscaping coordination is underway. Kyla added that several trees along Cottage Grove Road will be removed and replaced as part of the project and that Forestry staff are coordinating the work.

No formal action or vote on final design alternatives occurred at the meeting; staff will return in March with bid packages, pricing for railing heights and stripe/marking cost comparisons for the committee’s selection after bids are received.

Ending: Staff will advertise the project in March, return with bid results and recommended alternates, and bring cost comparisons for railing heights and path‑marking options at a future meeting.