Superior City Council increases funding for Belknap project

Bids for the reconstruction of Belknap Street came in higher than expected.
Last week the Superior City Council closed the gap in funding using money set aside for other capital improvement projects over the next five years to cover an additional $1.6 million in expenses related to the two-year reconstruction of the failing state highway.
The project, which will reconstruct Belknap Street between Hill and Banks avenues over the next two years, is a joint effort between the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and city of Superior. The project will replace 1.4 miles of concrete road, upgrade the storm sewer system and improve safety. It includes improving connecting side streets to the north and south of Belknap to the respective alleys of intersecting avenues.
Construction gets underway in the spring with plans to tackle the eastern and western ends of the project in 2017. In 2018, the final phase of the project will be completed between Birch and John avenues.
The final estimated cost for the project, more than $21.7 million at the time of bidding, was less than the lowest bid of almost $23.5 million.
The city already planned to spend more than $4.7 million for its share of the project. With the council’s approval, the city’s share of the project is about $6.46 million.
The alternative would be to eliminate some of the aesthetic elements of the project - a decorative wall, ornamental fencing, columns with flags and the red concrete - if there was no reallocation, said Public Works Director Todd Janigo.
One of the concerns for Council President Dan Olson was eliminating funding for major road projects in 2018 to help cover the higher-than-expected cost for Belknap Street; however, Janigo said the funding wasn’t designated for any specific project yet.  
The one designated project that would be affected would be reconstruction of 31st Avenue East. Purchasing benches and trash receptacles for the Belknap project would be put off until 2019 and decorative lighting on side streets would be eliminated to cover the costs.
For more information on the Belknap project, WisDOT has posted a video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGqf277-U8o .