LaSalle County Board approves $1.05M resurfacing, authorizes engineering contracts for county roads

LaSalle County Board on Feb. 5 approved a joint funding agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation to resurface Kingley Blacktop (County Highway 29) and authorized an engineering services agreement for County Highway 34 (D Bennett Road).

Chair introduced Resolution 26-01 to enter the IDOT joint funding agreement for the Kingley Blacktop project. County Highway staff said the resurfacing has an estimated cost of $1,051,000; the board appropriated $600,000 from the motor fuel tax fund and will use HSIP and local funds to cover the remainder. County staff said the project includes four-foot safety shoulders and noted an HSIP award of $473,375 for shoulder work. The board approved the resolution by roll call.

The board then authorized Resolution 26-02, a professional services agreement with Strand Associates for preliminary engineering on County Highway 34 (D Bennett Road), with an upper compensation limit of $986,450. County staff told the board the county received $2,400,000 in HSIP funding for the project and estimated total construction costs around $8,000,000. A related Resolution 26-03 appropriated $515,000 from the motor fuel tax fund for the project; staff said $315,000 will be reimbursed by HSIP and the remainder covered from special tax matching funds, with the board able to pass supplemental resolutions if needed. Both resolutions passed on roll call votes.

Board members asked whether the roads were already posted for 80,000-pound vehicles and raised no substantive objections. County staff said grant applications are being refiled where required and that construction funding will combine HSIP, MFT and local matching funds.

The projects are scheduled to move forward under the terms approved; staff said construction timing and final engineering details will follow the agreements and the department will return with additional contract documents as needed.