Fairview Blvd. project cheaper than estimated
By Dennis Nartker | KPC News - The News Sun
The cost of the city’s Fairview Boulevard reconstruction project came in nearly $1 million under the engineer’s original estimate.
City officials announced Tuesday the Indiana Department of Transportation has awarded API Construction Corp. the construction-only contract for $2.3 million.
The LaOtto-based company’s bid was the lowest of the four bids submitted to the state, and well under the engineer’s construction-only estimate of $3.2 million.
The three other bids received ranged from $2.58 million to $2.76 million.
The final cost will include preliminary engineering, estimated at $392,630; right-of-way acquisition, $50,300; and construction inspection, estimated at $349,733; in addition to the construction cost, for a total estimated cost of $3.12 million.
A federal grant is paying 80 percent of the project’s cost, with 20 percent coming from local sources, including revenue from the Eastside tax increment financing district.
The Fairview Boulevard reconstruction project will include:
• New asphalt paving, with concrete curbs and gutters, on the street between Dowling Street and U.S. 6;
• New pedestrian crossings, with two midblock crossings for enhanced safety;
• New ornamental street lighting to match streetlights throughout the city;
• A new multiuse path to connect to the Dowling Street path and extend north across U.S. 6 to the Detering Nature Preserve; and
• New street name and regulatory signs.
Work on the project is expected to begin soon.
The work schedule, along with other aspects of the project, will be discussed at a town-hall meeting Wednesday, April 19, at 6:30 p.m. at Impact Institute, 580 Fairview Blvd. City officials, design professionals and contractor representatives will be present to answer questions and explain the project.
“I’m excited to get this much-needed improvement underway,” said Mayor Suzanne Handshoe. “This project represents our continued emphasis on the need for infrastructure upgrading and its important role in keeping Kendallville a great place to do business and raise a family.”
