The St. Francis City Council unanimously approved plans and specifications for the city’s 2026 Street Rehabilitation Project and authorized the advertisement for bids at its March 16 meeting.
The project includes work in two areas, according to a report from City Engineer Craig Jochum.
The first area covers the south side of 229th Lane and the west side of Poppy Street, including 227th Avenue, Silverod Street, Quay Street, 228th Avenue and Rose Court. Quay Street and 227th Avenue are part of the municipal state-aid system, Jochum said.
The second area includes streets north of Bridge Street, east of Ivywood Street and west of Arrowhead Street. Those streets include Eidelweiss Street, 232nd Lane, Dahli Street, and segments of 231st Lane, Gladiola Street and 233rd Lane.
Pedestrian ramps in the project area will be rebuilt to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act standards. The project also includes sidewalk and concrete curb repair, Jochum wrote.
The project also includes construction of two new street segments north of Bridge Street. One would extend Woodbine Street from Bridge Street to 300 feet north of Bridge Street. The other would extend 230th Lane from Woodbine Street to 250 feet west of Woodbine Street.
The new road segments will provide access to city-owned property at the northeast corner of Bridge Street and Ambassador Boulevard, as well as city property north of 230th Lane, Jochum said. Those properties will also receive sewer and water service.
Public Works Director Paul Carpenter said the project is part of the city’s larger plan to systematically repair delaminated streets. He said this year’s work will put the city past the halfway point in that effort.
Robinson described delamination as the wearing away of the top layer of bituminous roadway, creating potholes between a half-inch and 2 inches deep.
“It was actually on the docket before I actually took directive,” Carpenter said, referring to an initiative he said began four years ago. “I’m just moving the directive up.”
Carpenter said the estimated pre-bid cost is $990,000. Funding would come from the municipal state-aid, water and sewer, stormwater, and street capital funds. He said the city receives a set amount of state-aid funding each year and budgets for the projects in advance.
“Sometimes, streets become unpredictable,” Carpenter said. “Sometimes, some streets get worse faster than others. I don’t have an explanation for that, it’s just the way it works out.”
In response to a question from Council Member Kevin Robinson, Carpenter said rising oil prices have recently affected fluctuations in asphalt costs.
“It’s hard to say what’s going to happen by the time we need it from the plant,” Carpenter said. “But that’s what the contingency is for.”