Infrastructure News Summary
For April 14, 2008
PROJECT'S LOW BIDS MAY GET TOSSED
The NWI Times
Phil Wieland
4/14/08
VALPARAISO | The low bidder for the downtown streetscape project might not end up with the contract, and it's not because of the bidder's faulty math. Chief Deputy City Engineer Tim Burkman told the city's Redevelopment Commission on Thursday that Kovilic Construction, of Franklin Park, Ill., incorrectly added up the total amount of its bid. Instead of it being $1,385,623, Burkman said the company made four errors and the total actually is $1,392,381. The change did not affect the contractor's status as low bidder. Kovilic was still about $32,000 below the second lowest bidder, Michiana Contracting Inc., of Plymouth, Ind. However, Kovilic failed to submit documentation that the bid process requires. Burkman said it would be up to the commission's attorney to review the situation and whether the company could still submit the bid and qualify for the contract. This is the third phase of the downtown streetscape and involves work on both sides of Lincolnway between Washington and Napoleon streets. New sidewalks, curbs, decorative lighting, lighted street signs, signal poles, brickwork at the intersections, tree grates, and irrigation, electrical and sound systems are part of the project. http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2008/04/14/news/porter_county/doc3cca265e00a9fb128625742b000d648c.txt
LANE FIXES AHEAD FOR WEST SIDE
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Benjamin Lanka
4/12/08
One of the summer construction projects this year is expected to help some
Fort Wayne drivers navigate roads on the west side.
Q. My question is regarding Cook Road between Carrington Pointe and Huguenard
Road. Going toward Huguenard you have to jog over in left lane. If you want to
turn right, jog back over in right lane. Why not just go straight in right lane
to make right turn? Why the stripes on road? - E-mail from Eva Loveday
A. Thanks for the question, Eva, but the lane alignment is there for a reason.
According to Shan Gunawardena, city traffic engineer, the lane configuration is
intended to keep motorists going straight in one lane. This keeps drivers
unfamiliar with the area from accidentally having to turn right onto Huguenard
if they are planning to go straight. The markings lead all traffic to the
through lane, and then make drivers wishing to turn move to a different lane. http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080412/LOCAL0203/804120327/1002/LOCAL
LANE CLOSURES AT INTERCHANGE
The Shelbyville News
4/12/08
Several construction crews will be working along State Road 9 at the
Interstate 74 and Morristown Road interchanges next week in advance of
installing two new traffic signals, INDOT announced Friday. Lane restrictions
will be imposed as workers place equipment at the westbound exit ramp of I-74
and at the SR 9-Morristown Road intersection. Meanwhile, a second construction
crew will begin widening the turn lanes - both north and southbound - at the
I-74 interchange. The road-widening work will require short-term closures of
right lanes in both directions. The Indiana Department of Transportation project
includes new traffic signals, wider shoulders, removal of curb sections,
pavement milling, asphalt paving and site landscaping. The contracted cost is
$492,602.
http://www.shelbynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=93&ArticleID=54974&TM=50437.68
NEW ALBANY: MAYOR HOPES TO USE STREET SMARTS
The News and Tribune
Daniel Suddeath
4/12/08
While Southern Indiana residents continue to see prices rise at the pumps, the $450,000 New Albany receives in gasoline-tax refunds from the state to use for street repaving is nowhere near enough, an officials says. The amount is a "drop in the bucket," said Carl Malysz, deputy mayor and director of development. "Our gut estimate is that our tab right now to get all of our streets reconditioned is going to be somewhere around $8 million, maybe $10 million," he said. During his State of the City Address, Mayor Doug England called New Albany's streets "embarrassing," and promised to make repaving efforts a priority. He said too much money had been spent in recent years on the sewer system while street repairs were shunned. Malysz said street issues are broken down into two categories - the first being the maintenance. Fixing potholes and repaving on a smaller scale fit into this category, which Malysz says will have its own budget. http://www.news-tribune.net/local/local_story_103003949.html
PORTAGE AVENUE TO CLOSE NEXT WEEK
MORE INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS ON TAP FOR THIS SUMMER.
South Bend Tribune
Jamie Loo
4/10/08
SOUTH BEND - Work on Portage Avenue will begin again next week, and projects
at major intersections are planned for this summer. City engineer Carl Littrell
said Tuesday that portions of Portage Avenue will be closed starting next week
to finish work on the roundabouts and road widening. He said more details will
be released next week on the dates and closures. The project was delayed last
fall because Northern Indiana Public Service Co. didn't meet deadlines to move
gas lines for construction to continue. Drainage and sight line improvements are
planned for the Ireland Road and Miami Street intersections. Littrell said a
wider turning radius will be at that intersection. A wider turning radius is
also planned at Bendix and Voorde, which he said, will help truck drivers make
those turns so that they're not driving onto the curb. The intersection projects
will go out to bid this spring. On the East Bank, left turn lanes on Eddy Street
will be added at the intersections of Colfax and LaSalle avenues. Littrell said
those intersections have been the source of many accidents. The Indiana
Department of Transportation is allocating federal aid for those improvements,
which will include some local dollars. Littrell said InDOT is handling the
bidding process, and he expects the project will be done by early fall.
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080410/News01/673875853/0/OPINION
VILLAGE OFFICIALS DEBATE THE NEXT SHAPE OF RIDGE ROAD
The NWI Times
Gregory Tejeda
4/13/08
LANSING | The village's portion of Ridge Road is scheduled to be resurfaced
later this year, but officials have yet to decide how to restripe the roadway.
Should Ridge Road have parking spaces alongside? Should it should be treated as
a major thoroughfare through town? Or is it a residential street with middle
school children being placed in danger by motorists when the kids try to walk
across the street? Part of the problem is the number of lanes on Ridge Road from
Torrence Avenue to Burnham Avenue are not clearly defined. Technically, Ridge
Road is a locally controlled, two-lane street, with additional lanes for parked
cars on either side of the passing motorists. But over the years, the street
markings that would make such use clear have worn away.
http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2008/04/13/news/top_news/doc1072585bd737c69f8625742900788aca.txt
CITY MOVES AHEAD TO WIDEN, STRAIGHTEN STATE
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Benjamin Lanka
4/11/08
A $9 million improvement project slated for 2011 will help ease commuters through the State Boulevard bottleneck north of downtown. The Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved preliminary engineering work to straighten and expand State Boulevard between Spy Run Avenue and Cass Street for $772,000. Of that cost, the city will pay $114,000, Allen County will pay $40,000 and the state will pay the remainder. The project will include two travel lanes in each direction and a softer curve near Eastbrook and Westbrook drives to improve safety. The new alignment - which will require about $3.2 million in property acquisitions - will help the city provide more capacity than the 20,500 vehicles that travel it daily. http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080410/LOCAL/804100307/-1/LOCAL08
RESURFACING WORK STARTS MONDAY ON IND. 144
The Indianapolis Star
4/13/08
Franklin " Resurfacing of a four-mile stretch of Ind. 144 will begin as early as Monday, according to an announcement from the Indiana Department of Transportation. Motorists on the highway from Ind. 135 to the Ind. 144 junction will find temporary daytime lane closures directed by flagging operations, said the statement from spokesman Marvin L. Jenkins. Reith-Riley Construction Co., Indianapolis, was awarded the $534,000 contract, which calls for the work to be completed by May 31. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008804130362