Lewes awards Madison and Railroad avenue contract
Lewes Mayor and City Council have unanimously accepted a $761,000 bid from Teal Construction Inc. to rebuild Madison and Railroad avenues.
The panel approved the bid at its July 8 meeting at City Hall. Before a contract is written, Lewes Board of Public Works must also consider the bid at its Wednesday, July 24 meeting in City Hall.
Charlie O’Donnell an engineer with George Miles & Buhr, a city consulting engineering firm, said Dover-based Teal’s bid is exactly the cost GMB estimators calculated.
Other companies that also submitted bids include Daisy Construction Inc., $807,000; George & Lynch Inc., $904,900; and JJID Inc., $926,000.
The project will replace aging water and sewer lines, deteriorating curbs and sidewalks and resurface the street. A recent railroad crossing upgrade on Monroe Avenue, which intersects with Railroad Avenue, will be extended. Four utility poles that encroach into Madison Avenue will be moved into inset curbing pockets.
O’Donnell said insetting the poles would make it easier to park on the street.
Madison Avenue will continue to have two-way traffic with parking on both sides, and Railroad Avenue will have two-way traffic with parking on one side.
Both streets will have 4-foot-wide sidewalks on both sides, with a grassy area on the west side of Railroad Avenue. Four-inch curbs will run along both streets and both will be accessible to people with disabilities.
Chesapeake Utilities will install a natural gas main, taking advantage of street reconstruction.
O’Donnell said George Miles & Buhr representatives would meet with homeowners who will be affected by the project. He said there would be minor water and sewer service disruptions during construction and the firm will have personnel on-site to inform homeowners if utility interruptions are expected to be lengthy.
During construction, on-street parking will be restored daily and available after 5 p.m., O’Donnell said.
He said required paperwork would be completed during the next several weeks and construction should begin Tuesday, Sept. 3, the day after Labor Day.
