MONORE - Construction on 8th Street and 9th Street from Wisconsin 69 to 20th Avenue could begin in early spring.
Bids for the various aspects of the project will be put out in "early, early spring," Mayor Ron Marsh said Tuesday.
"One of the things we wanted is to be open by Cheese Days," he said.
The city will be widening the street, replacing outdated water and sewer lines, replacing the Badger State Trail overpass, and redoing sidewalks.
Council and the Finance and Taxation Committee will be considering the city's bonding options, which were presented Dec. 1.
The project will not be started until the city has the money "in hand," Marsh said.
The Board of Public Works voted unanimously Jan. 5, 2009, to go forward with 8th/9th street reconstruction using a state grant supplying about 80 percent of the $4.5 million cost.
At that time, Director of Public Works Kelly Finkenbinder presented the proposed design plans for the route.
The street will be widened by four feet on each side, requiring electrical poles along the route to be relocated. Plans also show 9th Street being closed at the corner of 11th Avenue near Kwik Trip.
While the street is open, the water and wastewater utilities will replace and update their lines, among the oldest in the city. Covering the costs of $75,000 for replacing water lines and $350,000 for replacing sewer lines will come from the water and wastewater utilities' budgets.
The city began planning the project in April 2003. The original cost for the project was estimated at $2.5 million.
The original project went relatively smoothly until June 2006, when a historical site right of way halted the project.
The stalling occurred because preservation of historical and environmental aspects had to be reviewed and the project approved, to allow grant money to be issued.
On June 2, 2006, the city received notice from civil engineering consulting service, K Johnson Engineers, Inc., Madison, that three criteria needed to be met for the city to keep its federal and state funding for the project: A memorandum of agreement, a Federal Highway Administration 4(f) evaluation and an environmental report.
The city had to wait for the final environmental report, which had to be signed by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Wisconsin State Historical Preservation office, Department of Transportation Bureau of Equity and Environmental Services, and the Federal Highway Administration.
The forms should have been completed by May 2007, according to Marsh. The holdup was not caused by anything the city did, he said.
On Nov. 17, 2008, still without confirmation of the forms' completion, the Board of Public Works determined the city's cost to complete the project had risen to about $3.5 million.
One day before the Board of Public Works was scheduled to discuss the city undertaking a significantly scaled back version of the 8th/9th street project on its own, the state increased its grant funding to cover 80 percent of the current costs as of November 2008.
The grant is based on the state's recommendation the land be acquired and the street widened for public safety.
Board members determined to do the project because the stretch of road lies over some of the city's oldest water and sewer lines. An increasing number of repairs to the lines were an indication that replacement was needed.
By 2008 the entire project cost had increased to $4.5 million, and overshadowed the original state grant. When the state agreed to fund 80 percent of the current costs, board members picked up the original plans again.
Finkenbinder was authorized Jan. 5, 2009, to go ahead with the plans for reconstruction, starting with property acquisition along the route.
Finkenbinder said property owners could not be approached about purchasing the property until the city was notified that all federal and state agencies have signed off on the required paperwork.
On June 2, 2009, Common Council passed a resolution approving a relocation order and plat for the 8th/9th street project. The order and plat shows each parcel of land along 8th and 9th streets to be acquired and gave the legal description. The orders and plat needed to be approved by council and filed with the county clerk before purchasing the land.
Council approved the last parcel acquisitions Dec. 15.
Plans for the project are on display in the Common Council chamber at City Hall.
Bids for the various aspects of the project will be put out in "early, early spring," Mayor Ron Marsh said Tuesday.
"One of the things we wanted is to be open by Cheese Days," he said.
The city will be widening the street, replacing outdated water and sewer lines, replacing the Badger State Trail overpass, and redoing sidewalks.
Council and the Finance and Taxation Committee will be considering the city's bonding options, which were presented Dec. 1.
The project will not be started until the city has the money "in hand," Marsh said.
The Board of Public Works voted unanimously Jan. 5, 2009, to go forward with 8th/9th street reconstruction using a state grant supplying about 80 percent of the $4.5 million cost.
At that time, Director of Public Works Kelly Finkenbinder presented the proposed design plans for the route.
The street will be widened by four feet on each side, requiring electrical poles along the route to be relocated. Plans also show 9th Street being closed at the corner of 11th Avenue near Kwik Trip.
While the street is open, the water and wastewater utilities will replace and update their lines, among the oldest in the city. Covering the costs of $75,000 for replacing water lines and $350,000 for replacing sewer lines will come from the water and wastewater utilities' budgets.
The city began planning the project in April 2003. The original cost for the project was estimated at $2.5 million.
The original project went relatively smoothly until June 2006, when a historical site right of way halted the project.
The stalling occurred because preservation of historical and environmental aspects had to be reviewed and the project approved, to allow grant money to be issued.
On June 2, 2006, the city received notice from civil engineering consulting service, K Johnson Engineers, Inc., Madison, that three criteria needed to be met for the city to keep its federal and state funding for the project: A memorandum of agreement, a Federal Highway Administration 4(f) evaluation and an environmental report.
The city had to wait for the final environmental report, which had to be signed by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Wisconsin State Historical Preservation office, Department of Transportation Bureau of Equity and Environmental Services, and the Federal Highway Administration.
The forms should have been completed by May 2007, according to Marsh. The holdup was not caused by anything the city did, he said.
On Nov. 17, 2008, still without confirmation of the forms' completion, the Board of Public Works determined the city's cost to complete the project had risen to about $3.5 million.
One day before the Board of Public Works was scheduled to discuss the city undertaking a significantly scaled back version of the 8th/9th street project on its own, the state increased its grant funding to cover 80 percent of the current costs as of November 2008.
The grant is based on the state's recommendation the land be acquired and the street widened for public safety.
Board members determined to do the project because the stretch of road lies over some of the city's oldest water and sewer lines. An increasing number of repairs to the lines were an indication that replacement was needed.
By 2008 the entire project cost had increased to $4.5 million, and overshadowed the original state grant. When the state agreed to fund 80 percent of the current costs, board members picked up the original plans again.
Finkenbinder was authorized Jan. 5, 2009, to go ahead with the plans for reconstruction, starting with property acquisition along the route.
Finkenbinder said property owners could not be approached about purchasing the property until the city was notified that all federal and state agencies have signed off on the required paperwork.
On June 2, 2009, Common Council passed a resolution approving a relocation order and plat for the 8th/9th street project. The order and plat shows each parcel of land along 8th and 9th streets to be acquired and gave the legal description. The orders and plat needed to be approved by council and filed with the county clerk before purchasing the land.
Council approved the last parcel acquisitions Dec. 15.
Plans for the project are on display in the Common Council chamber at City Hall.