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Council gives support for next phase of Franklin Street Bridge repairs, not-to-exceed $1.262 million
Summary
After public comment and a staff presentation the council provided a motion of support to proceed with the next phase of Franklin Street Bridge rehabilitation in Michigan City, allowing the county to order materials and begin work planning; commissioners will see a formal appropriation at the next meeting.
LaPorte County Council on Oct. 27 voted to give a motion of support for the next phase of work on the Franklin Street Bridge in Michigan City, authorizing county highway staff and contractors to move forward with procurement and limited spending up to a not'to'exceed figure (presented by staff as approximately $1,262,000). The motion of support authorizes ordering materials and taking preparatory steps; a formal appropriation will be brought back to the council for a subsequent vote.
County Highway Assistant Superintendent Andrew Simmermeyer told the council the project team expects to fund the phase from existing Major Bridge and Cune Bridge funds and did not request a new appropriation at the meeting. Contractor Andy Skiat of Marquis Electric described the work as repairs to cracked I'beams at the toe of the bridge, structural repairs inside the pits (including counterweight concrete and a new pit floor), and safety repairs in the lower machinery pits. Skiat said the team would avoid a barge mobilization this winter by removing roadway sections to access the repairs by land.
Contractors and staff said they hoped to preserve the bridge for the winter events and to begin a closure Jan. 5 with a target finish around March 15. Skiat said three of four tread plate areas have already been exposed and will require more extensive work in a subsequent phase that could run into a costlier outage.
Council members voted in favor of the motion to support the project so contractors could order long'lead materials. The motion was made by Councilman Mark Yugowski and seconded by Councilman Brett Kessler. The roll call at the time of project support produced aye votes from the council members present.
Highway staff noted only one bid came forward covering part of the advertised scope and that several firms had reviewed the solicitation but declined to bid all phases; the county expects a mix of in'house work and subcontracted packages.
The council directed county staff to return with a formal appropriation and to coordinate with the commissioners as necessary to finalize permits and funding before construction.
