Politics & Government

City to Replace High Risk Sidewalks in Southeast Wheaton

City staff identifies sidewalks to be replaced.

City staff will proceed in its effort to replace all high-risk sidewalk defects in a southeast area of Wheaton in spring 2012. 

City Council in a planning session Monday gave staff the green light to pursue the project to improve 2,500 sidewalk defects in an area identified as the city's southeast quadrant. 

The quadrant lies south of Roosevelt Road and north of Butterfield Road, east of Naperville Road and west of Lambert Road (see map); and includes property west of Leask Lane and the Scottdale neighborhood, south of Butterfield Road.

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Of the 2,500 defects, 386 were identified as “high severity,” which must be mitigated according to Illinois case law, said Assistant City Manager Mike Dzugan. 

The high severity defects are now documented and considered “more than trivial” said Dzugan. “Those need to be done fairly quickly,” he said.

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City staff recommended replacing all high risk slabs for $90,960, as well as previously patched slabs for $22,680. The total cost of the project will cost around $232,000. Staff also recommended contracting the construction work and hiring a consultant to coordinate, inspect and audit the work of the contractor and communicate with residents affected by the repairs. 

Public Works' staff will evaluate the sidewalks defects of "medium severity" in the area to determine the appropriate repairs. Staff has estimated that replacing the medium severity defects will cost $88,920.

City Council members all agreed on the importance of correcting the high severity defects. “I think we need to correct these as soon as possible,” said councilman Tom Mouhelis. 

Councilman John Rutledge said he likes the idea of replacing the defective slabs as opposed to a "bandaid" of a repair. Staff reported that repairs, rather than replacements, of the high severity defects were only slightly less expensive.

The southeast quadrant of the city will be the first in a series of projects throughout Wheaton over the next few years.

Dzugan said with project specifications, staff could put the project out to bidders by January or February of 2012 in anticipation of completing the work in the spring. 

 


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