Weston outlines Bridal Avenue reconstruction plan, schedule and homeowner assessments

Public works staff presented the Village of Weston’s plan to reconstruct a section of Bridal Avenue and nearby side streets, saying the work will start with utility replacements and then proceed to pavement, pedestrian accommodations and final grading.

The presentation said contractors and a surveyor have already flagged properties and that American Engineering Testing completed soil borings along the corridor to inform the design. Staff told residents the work will focus on utility replacement—many sections still have asbestos‑cement water mains from the 1950s–60s that the village plans to replace with PVC "so that the underground work is 80 to 100 years" in service, rather than relying on 30–40‑year pavement repairs, according to staff.

Why it matters: staff said replacing the water and sewer mains now avoids repeated future digs and cuts down on long‑term disruption; the project also includes pedestrian accommodations and drainage improvements that require right‑of‑way work.

Staff described the project limits and side streets that will be affected for tie‑ins (Pine Park, Cherry, Willow and Alderson) and said the design should finish in the next month, with bids released in March, opened in April and construction starting in May or June with an October target for substantial completion. Staff cautioned the schedule is tentative and can be delayed by underground surprises or weather.

On costs and assessments, staff said the village’s approach has changed since 2018–19: the community pools capital improvement funds and limits individual property assessments. For this project the village expects to assess only driveway approaches (the homeowner’s access point), and staff said a driveway approach assessment would likely be a fraction of what reconstruction would have cost a decade ago. "You are not expected to pay that right away—once the project's complete, you have 10 years to pay back that," staff said, citing a past New Port Avenue project with average assessments near $10,000 as a point of comparison and estimating this project’s drive‑approach assessment could be closer to about $1,000 in many cases. Staff also said an assessment meeting will be scheduled once bids are in (roughly April–May) to set actual assessment amounts.

Sidewalks, trees and rights of way: under the village’s code, reconstruction projects are reevaluated for pedestrian accommodations. Staff said the Public Works and Utilities Committee previously voted to provide at least one sidewalk accommodation on the street, but that a neighborhood petition presented at a board meeting can remove a sidewalk later if citizens request it. Sidewalks will be located in the public right of way (50 feet on this stretch), and staff warned trees with roots that conflict with the proposed sidewalk or drainage will sometimes have to be removed; the village will offer replacement street trees, usually smaller than the removed specimens.

Practical impacts: staff said contractors must make reasonable efforts to keep roadways passable for residents and emergency vehicles, will restore any driveways or private work disturbed by construction at village expense, and typically will remove and temporarily relocate mailboxes per U.S. Postal Service direction, reinstalling permanent boxes when restoration is complete.

Next steps: staff asked interested neighborhoods to bring petitions or input to regular board meetings (third Monday of each month; upcoming dates referenced) and said contact information (Isaac) is available for property‑specific follow up. An assessment meeting will follow after bids are received.