Contractors continue to work on road projects throughout Seymour as the construction and paving season winds down for the winter.
One area of focus is East Second Street from the railroad tracks to the dead end near Cummins. That stretch of road was included in the 2020 repaving list as part of the Community Crossings Matching Grant program.
Right now, workers are tearing out and replacing curb ramps along the route so they are in compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
When streets are repaved, municipalities must update curb ramps to comply with federal ADA requirements or risk losing federal funding.
As part of its CCMG funding this year, Seymour is spending about $2.5 million to pave portions of 40 streets totaling 7 miles.
Last month, the Seymour Board of Public Works and Safety voted 2-0 to extend Dave O’Mara Contractor Inc.’s deadline for completion of paving to June 1, 2021. Board member Jim Potts did not attend the meeting.
The Seymour Redevelopment Commission also approved the extension. It passed 4-0.
“It’s not what we want to hear, obviously,” said city engineer Bernie Hauersperger.
The biggest cause of the delay is the city has not been granted permits from the Louisville and Indiana Railroad to work in the railroad’s right of way, he said.
“We are needing to delay the areas around the L and I Railroad, mainly Indianapolis Avenue north of the CSX and L and I Railroad diamond,” Hauersperger said. “L and I demands a permit to work in their presumed right of way that overlaps our roadway.”
Laurel Street also may not get paved until the spring, he added.
“This is due to two items,” he said. “One is the addition of extra ADA pedestrian ramps on that street, and it also needs a permit from the railroad because the project starts at the railroad.”
Hauersperger said it’s not a matter of O’Mara being able to squeeze the work in.
“They are going to have to wait until those permits come in,” he said.
Hauersperger also said weather has played a role in the delay. The paving projects were supposed to be done around this time of year.
“We just need another six months for the contractor to get the work done for this,” he said.
Mayor Matt Nicholson said he wanted to see as much of the road paving completed this year as possible.
“It worries me to extend CCMG into the next year, year after year,” he said. “This has been the second year in a row we’ve done it.”
CCMG projects are awarded in one large contract, Nicholson added.
“I’d like to know where we are at on all of them,” he said of the projects.
With continued good weather, Hauersperger said paving work should keep moving along.
“If it stays nice out, things may get done sooner,” he said.
Board of works member Dave Earley, who also is president of the city council, said the city needs to move forward the best it can to prevent the work from dragging out any longer.
The board of works and redevelopment commission also approved to pay FPBH Inc. an additional $10,000 for their construction inspection services in relation to the CCMG projects due to previous change orders, the extension and a change in scope to the contract.
O’Brien Street reconstruction
Also during both meetings, members approved a contract with GAI Consultants for roadway design for O’Brien Street from Village Circle Avenue to Fourth Street, excluding U.S. 50.
“This area has been identified for years as a trouble spot in need of help with drainage and safety,” Nicholson said. “The road is falling apart, and there are no sidewalks. It’s a heavily trafficked area by pedestrians.”
The road will be completely torn out and rebuilt with the addition of storm sewers, curbs and gutters, bike lanes and sidewalks on potentially both sides of the street.
Hauersperger said preliminary engineering work will cost $595,997 with 80% funding from the Indiana Department of Transportation and 20% from the city.
“It’s approximately $2,000 or $3,000 over budget from what INDOT wanted,” he said. “A little bit of the contract will be 100% Seymour funded at this time.”
The reconstruction of the O’Brien Street corridor is slated to begin in 2025.
In February, the city received $4.2 million in federal funding from INDOT for the O’Brien Street project, which is estimated to cost $16 million and extend from Burkart Boulevard on the north side of the city to the new Burkart Boulevard bypass on the south side.
“We expect to have a nice roadway there when it’s all said and done,” Hauersperger said.
Mini-roundabout at Fourth and O’Brien streets
The board of works and redevelopment commission also recently approved a $93,035 contract with SEH Inc. for right of way services to do property appraisal and acquisition for the planned mini-roundabout at Fourth and O’Brien streets.
“This is just the cost of getting the documents together because we’re using federal funds,” Hauersperger said. “To do it the right way, you have to buy the right of way. It’s not just we’re offering some money, and they accept it, and then you take over. You have to follow all of the bells and whistles that the federal highway department requires when you buy property from someone.”
He said nine parcels are involved, and most of them are small.
Currently, the intersection is a four-way stop marked by stop signs. The intersection is close to Cummins Seymour Engine Plant, Seymour Middle School, apartment complexes and a gas station, making it a busy and congested area for both vehicles and pedestrians.
“The roundabout is believed to fit OK into the area, but this has impacts to property that may still cause modification to the plans,” Hauersperger said.
A traffic impact study of the intersection was completed in 2015, and the recommended solution, based on accident history and traffic count, was a roundabout.
Having a roundabout will slow down traffic but allow it to keep moving instead of having to stop. It also will prevent head-on collisions because of the way traffic will flow.
In 2018, the city received $840,000 in federal funding from INDOT to improve the intersection. The project is slated to go out to bid in 2021 but likely won’t get started until 2023. It’s expected to cost just under $1 million.
The project will go out for bids in 2021, but likely won’t get started until 2023.
The city is expected to pay 20% of the cost with federal dollars covering 80%, but other costs are anticipated, Hauersperger said.
An additional $14,785 also was approved by the board of works and redevelopment commission as an amendment for Historical Section 106 documentation.
“This was a new state requirement after the project was started, so we are a little behind schedule,” Hauersperger said.