City taking steps to expand scope of repairs to First Street

According to Mayor Neil Elkins, the First Street wastewater project is expanding beyond its original scope to include repairs of the roadway to add to its longevity, with city officials expecting completion this summer.

During Tuesday’s council meeting, Huntingburg Councilman Tim Wehr asked for a public update on the wastewater project impacting First Street.

“The original design of First Street with the construction was to put all the utility work in that center lane,” Mayor Elkins explained, adding that repairs to the center lane were included in the project. “Now with the amount of work that was done and some of it damaged the south portion of that lane, we weren’t comfortable with just going ahead and doing what was in our contract.”

The expanded project will replace the entire roadway with concrete rather than asphalt, which was initially planned.

“There’s no way you can put asphalt in that street with the conditions that are there,” Elkins explained, adding he didn’t want to patch a concrete road with asphalt.

Because the project came in under the budgeted amount, the city has $360,000 in unspent grant money from the State Revolving Funds that can be redirected to fund the expanded project rather than returning it. However, this change requires federal approval since federal funds are involved.

“We had to get their approval to be able to use the contingency money to do that. Don’t see that as an issue. But it’s just been slow getting that response from them,” the mayor told the council.

Engineers have completed new drawings for the expanded project, which will create a uniform concrete surface across the entire roadway.

“It’ll be a smooth street. Pain in the rear right now, but we won’t have a set of railroad tracks in the next 30 years on that south end of that line,” Elkins said.

The council expressed concern with the timeline of the repairs as the summer season kicks into gear. Elkins said they hope to have the approvals and work on the repairs could begin as soon as June. He added that he should have a more defined timeline by the next regular council meeting.

Dust from the construction zone has become a concern for residents and motorists. Councilman Jeff Bounds asked if anything could be done temporarily to address the dust problem.

Elkins said that adding oil would increase the cost and require more extensive repairs due to it permeating the foundation of the road.

The city does have a water truck that could potentially be used, though it’s currently being utilized for watering plants throughout the city. The construction has noticeably altered traffic patterns in the area, with many motorists seeking alternative routes.

“It has increased traffic on First Avenue because people are going around,” Councilwoman Pam Bolte noted.

The comprehensive approach to the First Street reconstruction aims to provide a more durable and smoother roadway that will serve the community for decades to come, despite the temporary inconveniences of construction.

The project covers First Street from Jackson to the Cherry Street intersection. A future project will repair the final block west of Jackson to U.S. 231. Those repairs will be done in conjunction with entrance updates to Mor-For-Less.