Plainfield awards contract for pedestrian bridge on Lockport Street
By Madhu Mayer For The Herald-News June 21, 2012 10:50PM
Updated: July 23, 2012 6:38AM
PLAINFIELD — The Plainfield Village Board has crossed off one of its items on the “to do” list by signing a contract for the construction of the Lockport Street pedestrian bridge.
D Construction in Coal City, which was the lowest of six bidders, was the winning bidder at $1,073,237. The lowest bid was 7.5 percent over the engineer’s estimate, which was $998,535.
The project will be financed through a $1 million state capital grant, along with money from the village’s capital account.
Allen Persons, public works director, said it does not surprise him that the bids came higher than the engineer’s estimate.
“From what we’ve been seeing ... we are getting fewer contractors to bid on projects, which increases the cost,” he said. “It may be a symptom of the economy.”
Persons said D Construction also constructed the current Lockport Street bridge in the early 1990s.
The board also adopted a resolution for the use of motor fuel tax funds for construction engineering for sidewalk, pedestrian bridge and street lighting construction, not to exceed $115,000. The funds also will be used for construction inspection to make sure right materials are used, said Persons.
Right now, heavy traffic on the existing state roadway cannot properly accommodate pedestrians as they attempt to cross the river on the narrow pathway, said Persons.
“The Lockport Street (Route 126) bridge carries an average traffic volume of over 18,000 vehicles per day, including an estimated 3,000 large trucks that travel over this bridge as well,” Persons said. “The existing walkway is extremely narrow, not protected from vehicular traffic, and does not comply with Americans with Disabilities Act’s standards.”
“The construction of the proposed pedestrian walkway, over the DuPage River, will provide an important connection between the downtown business district, Riverfront Park, Settlers’ Park, Village Hall and the Pace bus stop,” he added.
Work will also include decorative street lighting from Village Center Drive near Plainfield Village Hall to James Street, pathway connections and utility relocation.
Persons said the project will be finished by the end of the year.
