Work has begun on a road improvement project for North Mill Street in Festus that includes resurfacing the road and repairing a failing retaining wall on city right-of-way property.
The Festus City Council voted 6-0 on April 14 to award a $667,314.40 contract to Jokerst Paving & Contracting of Festus to complete the resurfacing and associated work. Council members Jim Tinnin and Mike Cook, both of Ward 4, were absent from the meeting.
In March, the city agreed to pay Jokerst $124,043.90 to repair the retaining wall at 119 N. Mill St.
“The North Mill work started last week as crews were on site for the retaining wall work,” Festus City Administrator Greg Camp said Monday. “There is a traffic detour in place while they are working.
“It (the retaining wall) is on city right-of-way across from the firehouse (212 N. Mill St.). We are responsible for replacing the 100-year-old retaining wall. So, that’ll get done first, but then it is resurfacing North Mill all the way from Main to Cedar Heights. That street really needs it.”
Festus has received a federal Surface Transportation Program grant that will cover 80 percent, or $533,851.52, of the cost to resurface the approximately 1.1-mile stretch of North Mill and complete related work, which includes mill and overlay work; curb removal and replacement; storm sewer structure replacement; and streetlight installation.
The city will pay the remaining $133,462.88.
The city will cover the entire $124,043.90 cost to repair the retaining wall, bringing the total for all the Jokerst work to $791,358.30, and the city’s share to $257,506.78.