Engineer: Lexington nearing utilities completion; Lindale behind and subject to liquidated damages

The New Prague City Engineer reported progress and delays on multiple street projects and said the contractor has been notified of liquidated damages on at least one street.

The engineer (Speaker 5) said utility work on Lexington Avenue should be finished within about a week, with full road reconstruction and paving to begin when utilities are complete and expected to finish in roughly a month if weather cooperates. He said Sixth Street NE still contains deep utilities that will affect schedule.

By contrast, Lindale Avenue remains incomplete past the point when the city expected substantial completion. The engineer said the city has notified the contractor that liquidated damages are in effect for Lindale Avenue; the rate cited in the meeting was $850 per day and the engineer said that amount would rise to roughly $1,500 per day after the last Saturday in October if the contractor continues to miss contract requirements.

The engineer said liquidated damages cited are not cumulative across multiple streets simultaneously and described how the city is tracking milestones, substantial completion and final completion dates in the contract. Council members pressed for timeline clarity and the engineer said the project is not on Lexington but that Lindale had exceeded its allowed completion window, even after an extension had been granted.

The update closed with the engineer advising the council that the contractor still expects to meet remaining dates if weather holds, but that there is “a ways to go.”