TERRE HAUTE, Ind., (WTWO/WAWV)– The construction on Terre Haute’s Lafayette Avenue will begin this Spring.
City officials hope that it will improve the traffic flow and safety in the area.
The project is estimated to cost $6 million, with 80% of the funding coming from the Indiana Department of Transportation and the remaining funding being provided by the City of Terre Haute.
The project will go to bid on March 4th this year.
Marcus Maurer, Terre Haute Assistant City Engineer, said the project originally was open for bids back in November. However, they were not able to legally award the contract to the lone bidder.
He hopes there will be a successful bid in March.
“When you have multiple bids you would then select the lowest responsive responsible bid as your winning contractor. That’s how you would choose your contractor with the lowest price and get the cheapest project and hopefully the best project,” said Maurer.
Maurer said construction will begin after a bid is awarded. The project includes new gates and signals for the railroad crossing near the intersection of Fort Harrison and Lafayette Avenue. This portion of the project has to be complete before the Lafayette Avenue construction on traffic lanes, sidewalks, and storm drainage can begin.
“Once we get the bids march 4th, within a month you’ll start to see some construction on the railroad and utilities. That’s going to go on until early to mid summer before the contractor gets out there and gets started,” Maurer said.
Local business owners around the area hope this will improve the quality of the area.
“We’ve been anxious for several years for this project to get done. I can’t help but think that the improved drainage and the improved traffic flow will be good for all of us, in addition to making our businesses look better,” said Bryan Sponsler, an insurance agency owner.
The entire project is scheduled to be completed by late 2021.
