Street projects progressing
BY DALE HOGG
dhogg@gbtribune.com
“We’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” Great Bend City Administrator Kendal Francis said of the 10th and Grant streets remodeling project. Venture Corporation of Great Bend has been milling the asphalt areas with plans to overlay yet this week.
Traffic signals are due to be delivered by the end of the week for installation and Francis said substantial completion is expected by the first of next week. After that, the striping still needs to be done. Final completion is about two weeks out.
Meanwhile, further east on 10th Street, the resurfacing of 10th Street between Kiowa Road and Hickory is completed, he said.
Venture Corporation was the contractor for the job and the bid was $490,217.50. The city’s portion is 10% of the cost with the remainder coming from the Kansas Department of Transportation.
As one street construction project on 10th Street is wrapping up, another came before the Great Bend City Council Tuesday night.
But, uncomfortable with foregoing taking bids and the slow pace of the 10th and Grant work by contractor Morgan Brothers, the Great Bend City Council Tuesday night rejected having the same La Crosse firm tackle the resurfacing of a chewed-up portion Grant Street just south of the project area.
The asphalt around the north Grant Street entrance into the Walmart parking lot has deteriorated rapidly, City Administrator Kendal Francis said. The north entrance into Walmart’s parking is heavily utilized by semi traffic and the asphalt has not withstood those heavy loads turning on it.
“Now as the intersection project is completing, it would be the perfect opportunity to address this portion of street,” he said. As they and their subcontractors are already mobilized, city staff has been working with Morgan Brothers Construction on pricing for full-depth replacement of 150 feet of asphalt with concrete.
Morgan Brothers offered to do the repairs for $56,060.
But, “I don’t like the idea of not going through the bidding process,” Councilman Dana Dawson said. His concerns were echoed by others on the council who also expressed frustration with the company’s delays on 10th and Grant.
They said they might feel differently had that been done in a timely manner. And, they said, local motorists may be construction weary now and could use a break.
Morgan Brothers made sense since they were already on-site, greatly reducing mobilization costs, Francis said. “They could start almost immediately.”
The project time is expected to be about three weeks, Francis said. The entire the cost will be borne by the city as it falls outside of the Kansas Department of Transportation funded intersection project area.
This proposed project did not go through the city’s bid process as timing with the intersection project could not be determined, he said. “However, pricing follows in-line with that provided on the intersection project and staff is comfortable with the quote.”
However, “I have no heartburn either way,” Francis said. Although deteriorating, he said the 150-foot stretch is by no means impassable now and repairs could be delayed.
