Belvidere eyes major road improvements for summer

By Bob Balgemann
Reporter
BELVIDERE – City officials have taken another step toward road improvements that are scheduled to be done this summer.
Recommendations for approval came at the Monday, Feb. 8 committee of the whole meeting, with formal action due at the Monday, Feb. 15 night city council session.
In all, the work totals an expenditure of $2.043 million, with another $400,000 in state motor fuel tax funds also being spent.
The State Street streetscape improvements are on for this summer, on year after a lack of bids caused council to delay the work by 12 months. This summer the improvements will be from the railroad tracks to Madison Street.
A Rockford company appeared to have submitted the low bid of $419,131.30 for the streetscape project. But an error in calculating the cost caused the company to ask that it be allowed to withdraw its bid.
Given that, Public Works Director Brent Anderson issued a new recommendation that the contract be awarded to the second low bidder, Alliance Contractors Inc., out of Woodstock, in the amount of $616,876.35.
There were four other bids, from companies located in Gilberts, Rockford, Huntley and DeKalb, ranging from $627,848 to $704,000.
The city budgeted $700,000 for the work.
The most expensive project of the summer will be reconstruction of Columbia Avenue and Aspen Court.
Northern Illinois Service Company in Rockford, one of six to offer a bid, quoted $1,426,512 for the project. The five other bids were from companies in Loves Park, Rockford, Freeport and Elgin, ranging from $1,460,778.30 to $2,317,966.
The city budgeted $1.5 million for the improvements. Work will take place on Columbia from Locust to Aspen, and along the one-block stretch of Aspen.
Finally, the city intends to overlay three arterial and collector streets, which are used by the most traffic, and eight less-busy streets in residential neighborhoods.
The major roads to be improved are Appleton Road from Locust to Lincoln; Farmington Way from U.S. 20 to Logan Avenue; and South Main Street from Logan to the railroad tracks. Those streets are in city council wards two, three and five.
Residential streets to be resurfaced are:
Fifth Avenue from Sixth Street to Eighth Street; Eighth Avenue from Sixth to Seventh; 10th Avenue from Sixth to Ninth; Caswell Street from Pleasant to Locust; Nebraska Street from Pleasant to Locust; Conlin Court from Bonus to Taylor Ridge; East Menomonie from Gardner to Blaine; and Highland Street from East to Fremont.
Those streets are located in wards one, three, four and five.