River Forest will use a $736,279 Rebuild Illinois grant to pay the majority of the cost to resurface four village streets in 2024.
By unanimous vote of the five trustees present at the Dec. 18 meeting, Village Board members awarded a contract to Schroeder Asphalt Services of Huntley, Ill., for the $832,475 project. Katie Brennan did not attend. The action was approved as part of the consent agenda with no discussion.
Any amount over the $736,279 will be covered by the Infrastructure Improvement Bond Fund, Bill Koclanis, civil engineering technician for the village, said in a memo to Matt Walsh, village administrator.
Schroeder’s bid was the lowest of 11 bids received. The high bid was $1,165,403.
Schroeder has performed street resurfacing work for the village before, Koclanis said in the memo, adding the firm “performed well.”
Streets to be resurfaced are Augusta Street from Keystone Avenue to Harlem Avenue; William Street from Chicago Avenue to Augusta Street; Thatcher Avenue from Hawthorn Avenue to Madison Street; and Hawthorn from Forest Avenue to Franklin Avenue.
Walsh said the four stretches of resurfacing will be performed at the same time. The goal is to start by May 2024.
Village officials said previously that the $736,279 roadway resurfacing project costs will be covered by Rebuild Illinois grant funds that are issued in six disbursements of $122,713 each over a three-year period concluding in FY2023.
The Rebuild Illinois capital program will make $45 billion worth of investments in roads, bridges, railroads, universities, early childhood centers and state facilities over the next six years, creating and supporting an estimated 540,000 jobs over the life of the plan and revitalizing local economies across the state, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. Of that total, $25.4 billion will fund improvements to Illinois roads and bridges.
River Forest officials have also said that the Rebuild Illinois Project will be similar to the village’s annual street improvement project but must be accounted for separately. The funds must be used for a bondable capital improvement with an average useful life of greater than or equal to 13 years, they added. Funds not expended by July 1, 2025 will be forfeited.
Illinois is the transportation hub of the nation and the sixth largest state in the United States, but has not had a comprehensive, multi-year capital plan since 2009, according to IDOT officials. Overall, Illinois’ infrastructure has a C-rating, and deferred maintenance backlogs for the state’s road and transit systems alone have reached $30 billion.
About 74% of Illinois roads and 86% of bridges are rated as acceptable, according to IDOT.
Of the $45 billion, $25.4 billion will go to Illinois’ roads and bridges; $1.4 billion to major rail projects and added grade crossing protection projects; $150 million to aeronautic facility improvements; and $150 million in new funding for port improvements.