ALTON - Several items related to street improvement projects for Main Street and Milton Road are on the agenda for the Alton Committee of the Whole’s consideration and possible approval on Monday, July 22, 2024.

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The City of Alton applied and was approved for federal highway funding to make improvements to a 0.58 mile stretch of Main Street from Hillcrest Avenue to College Avenue. The city is now responsible for coordinating design engineering services on the project, according to Monday’s meeting documents.

The full scope of the work would include “pavement patching, pavement milling, hot-mix asphalt resurfacing, sidewalk curb ramps and other miscellaneous items of construction,” according to the resolution for improvement under the Illinois Highway Code.

A Local Public Agency Engineering Services Agreement between the City of Alton and Sheppard, Morgan and Schwaab (SMS) Inc. is the subject of another related resolution on the agenda. SMS will perform the work described on “Phase 1” of the Main Street improvement project if the item is approved.

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Phase 1 of the Main Street project includes a Phase 1 “preliminary engineering” stage and Phase 2 “design engineering” stage. The preliminary engineering stage includes “completion of an environmental survey request,” meeting with the city and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) as necessary, “property owner coordination via letters or public meeting if needed,” and more. The design engineering phase would involve a topographical survey of the project limits, as well as the design and preparation of plans, specifications, cost estimates, and much more.

According to the Main Street Project Schedule, the topographical survey would be completed from September to December 2024 if the agreement is approved by the City of Alton and IDOT. While bids for construction are targeted to open from June 2026 to June 2027, the schedule “could be delayed if [a] right-of-way is required.”

A separate resolution concerns the selection of SMS to perform construction engineering services for the “Milton Road - Phase 1 project,” according to the resolution. A memo from John Hales of JMH Consulting Services, a member of the “selection committee” tasked with finding an engineering firm for the project, notes that SMS was chosen unanimously among other reasons for its “experience, technical competence, capacity, and capability to perform the engineering services required for this project.”

Hales also noted SMS has an ongoing relationship with the city and its Public Works department, including their previous performance of preliminary and design engineering services on Phase 1 of the Milton Road project. Upon approval, another Engineering Services Agreement between the city and SMS would be negotiated and presented at a future City Council meeting.

Each item now faces consideration and preliminary approval from the Committee of the Whole at their next meeting on Monday, July 22, 2024. If approved, they will advance to the City Council for final consideration and approval on Wednesday, July 24, 2024.

Follow the discussion and vote at both meetings live on Riverbender.com/video. All Alton City Council meetings can also be watched live or on demand on the Riverbender.com Facebook page, Roku app, or YouTube channel.

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