The street construction season in Brookfield will get underway next month, with seven blocks targeted for resurfacing at various spots within the village. According to Village Engineer Derek Treichel, construction should begin no later than mid-April and ought to wrap up by early August.
Unique Plumbing, a Brookfield contractor which has completed several road construction projects in Brookfield over the past 15 years, was the lowest qualified bidder for this year’s program.
On March 14, Unique Plumbing was awarded the contract for the work at $920,379. The village received three other bids, with the high bid coming in at $1.06 million. Unique’s bid came in approximately $100,000 under the village engineer’s estimate for the work.
“The village typically bids out early in the year, because that’s when contractors are hungry to pick up their first jobs of the season,” Treichel said. “We’ve been working hard to get the bids out early.”
Work will be done on the following streets this spring and summer:
? Lexington Avenue from Kemman to Cleveland
? Jackson Avenue from Kemman to Cleveland
? Lincoln Avenue from Maple to Grand Boulevard
? Burlington Boulevard from Forest to Grove
? Grove Avenue from Ogden Avenue to Burlington Boulevard
All of the streets identified for work this year were slated for resurfacing under the village’s five-year street plan, with the exception of the Lincoln Avenue section. Originally, Lincoln Avenue from Kemman to Madison was listed as a 2005 project, but the village board voted to amend that plan in November 2004.
The 2005 plan originally called for some 27 blocks of Brookfield streets to be resurfaced, but was scaled back since there were not enough funds to cover the cost. The village has approximately $740,000 left in bond proceeds that were issued in 2003 for street repairs.
Some $627,000 will be used in 2005 for street resurfacing. Funds will be drawn from the village’s water fund to cover approximately $293,000 in water and sewer repairs that will accompany this year’s street work.
A new water main will be installed on Burlington Boulevard between Forest and Grove avenues, and several new water services will be installed on Grove Avenue.
According to Treichel, residents should see minimal inconveniences during the street work, the principal one being a period of a week or two in which driveway aprons will be replaced. Residents will be notified by the contractor before driveway aprons are removed, and cars will most likely be allowed to park on the street during that time. Treichel also said he expects streets to remain open for traffic, with short closures during some work hours.
“Other than when we’re paving, the streets should remain open to local traffic,” Treichel said.
