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City engineer outlines Central Avenue resurfacing plan; federal grant delays and utility work raised bid costs
Summary
Staff updated council on Central Avenue resurfacing: federal cultural‑resource review delayed schedule, utility coordination with Iowa American Water, low bid of about $3.7 million, and a proposed $175,000 reallocation to cover higher sewer costs.
Brent Morlock, Bettendorf city engineer, briefed the committee on the Central Avenue resurfacing project and the schedule impacts of a federal cultural‑resources evaluation required for federally funded surface‑transportation grants.
Morlock said the cultural review created additional consulting needs during design and delayed the project schedule, but the evaluation found no properties listed on the National Register and only limited vibration monitoring requirements. He described staging plans to work in two‑ to four‑block sections, utility coordination with Iowa American Water (replacement of water mains east of 23rd Street), and the necessity of intermittent road closures when sanitary sewer replacements occur.
The Iowa DOT bid process produced five bidders; Layman Construction Rock Island submitted the low bid at just over $3.7 million, about $125,000 above the city’s estimate. Morlock said higher sewer costs likely reflect utility conflicts in the tight corridor and proposed moving $175,000 from a placeholder sewer planning account (initially set aside for an east annexation project) to subsidize the Central Avenue sanitary work so the project can proceed without delaying award.
Councilmembers questioned detour routing and sidewalk alignments; Morlock said alleys and adjacent cross streets will provide access for most residents during closures and that there is insufficient additional right‑of‑way to move sidewalks farther from the curb. He noted 54 temporary construction easements were needed to replace existing sidewalks that encroached onto public right‑of‑way.
Why it matters: Central Avenue is a center‑city arterial; federal funding, staging choices, and utility coordination affect the timing, traffic impacts and budget choices the council will consider when the item appears on the full council consent agenda.
The committee voted to place the resurfacing item on tomorrow night’s council consent agenda.
