The Festus West Main Street phase 2 road improvement project officially began Sept. 30 and will continue for about four months, city officials reported.
Weekday road closures started this week.
The project covers a 0.3-mile stretch from Park Avenue near Festus City Hall west to the bridge over I-55, where waterline will be replaced and streets will be improved. The project will cost an estimated $929,687, said Michelle Vaught, the city’s finance director.
Of that, $296,403 is for the waterline replacement, and the city will foot that entire cost.
The city received a Surface Transportation Program grant that will cover $470,065 of the remaining $633,284 cost for the street work. The city will pay the rest, $163,219, Vaught said.
She said the city also is paying for other items outside of the grant, including engineering work.
The waterline replacement will be completed first, followed by the street work and other improvements, including gutters, sidewalks and lighting upgrades, City Administrator Greg Camp said.
Michael Christopher, the Festus Public Works director, said the project’s general contractor, Jokerst Paving & Contracting in Festus, said the road closures are scheduled for more or less 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
“That can change day to day for weather or other things like events on Main Street,” Christopher said.
He said detour signs will be posted at locations affected by the road closures.
Christopher said the city’s contract with Jokerst calls for the overall project to take 120 calendar days, which would end in early 2025, but work days lost to inclement weather are not included in the timetable.
Council members voted in April to authorize the mayor to execute the contract with Jokerst for the West Main Street phase 2 project. The company submitted the lowest of three bids for the project.
Council members Kevin Dennis of Ward 3 and Mike Cook of Ward 4 were absent from the meeting.
Since the city will have to tear up the roads for the STP grant project, officials decided to replace the waterlines at the same time, Camp said.
“I think it’s great because of the fact we’re able to do the waterline project along with the road improvements,” he said.