Students walking down State Street will
see a familiar sight come March 31: construction workers and torn-up
city streets.
Members of the State Street Design
Project Oversight Committee approved plans Monday night for new
construction on the 500 and 600 blocks of State Street, awarding the
contract to local company Speedway Sand and Gravel .
“It’s an important project, and I’m
happy that we are continuing down the street,” said City Council
President Mike Verveer, District 4.
He added he is excited for the project
to start after last year’s cancellation, when complaints from shop
owners that construction would begin too late in the year resulted in
the project being put off.
Speedway beat out Joe Daniels
Construction by about $200,000, agreeing to do the construction for
$5,00,080 — almost $2 million less than the city’s original budget
for the project.
Although Joe Daniels Construction has
done the remodeling projects on every other block of State Street so
far, state law requires the contract to go to the company with the
lowest bid, according to Verveer.
Workers will be rebuilding the
intersection of West Gilman Street, as well as redoing North Frances
Street. Concrete Park, the area between the Towers and Statesider
residence halls, will also be remodeled into a green space with a
fountain.
Other street renovations include new
street lights, bike racks, benches and signage, as well as added
trees.
Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, who also
sits on the committee, said the renovations will turn the area into
something the city can be proud of and students can enjoy.
“I’m really happy to see that we are
finally going through the steps and finishing what is probably going
to be a headache, with regard to traffic and construction,” Judge
said.
Of the funds allotted for the State
Street redesign project, about $1 million is coming from federal
funds, while another $1 million is coming from assessments paid by
property owners with real estate abutting State Street.
“The rest is tax incremental finance,
which is property taxes that we’ve made from the properties in the
area — so the taxpayers as a whole are not taxed for the project,”
Verveer said.
Speedway Sand and Gravel is required to
finish construction by Sept. 12.