Wendell awards contract for Wendell Boulevard–Wendell Falls Parkway intersection improvements

The Wendell Town Board of Commissioners voted to award a construction contract to the Fred Smith Company for improvements at the Wendell Boulevard and Wendell Falls Parkway intersection at its March meeting.

Town staff said the work, funded in part through a 2021 LAP grant, will add a traffic signal, a turn lane from Wendell Boulevard onto Wendell Falls Parkway, pedestrian improvements including a signalized crossing in front of Lake Myra Elementary School, and stormwater work down to the Cook Street intersection. The total project budget is $2,900,000; the town’s contribution will be just over $1 million. Construction was described as expected to start in the spring, and the award is contingent on concurrence from the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Mr. Coats, a town staff member who presented the item, said the project “provides pedestrian improvements, installation of a turn lane, and [a] traffic signal at that intersection.” He noted the town rebid the work after receiving only two responses on the first solicitation and again received the same two responses in the second round; the Fred Smith Company submitted the lowest bid and was recommended for award.

Commissioner Joiner moved to adopt the resolution awarding the contract to the Fred Smith Company; the board then voted in favor. The town manager and NCDOT must complete remaining concurrence steps before construction begins.

The project also calls for closing Wall Street at the intersection and updating sidewalks, the presenter said, and includes inspection, NCDOT fees and a contingency in the $2.9 million budget.