TAMMY TEFFT
WESTFIELD – The city’s Engineering and Purchasing Department are preparing to advertise a number of contracts slated for the upcoming construction season, including the $4 million reconstruction of the North Elm and Notre Dame intersection and the nearly $3 million segment of the Columbia Greenway.
City Purchasing Director Tammy Tefft said this morning that the Engineering Department hopes to submit several contracts to her department for review of compliance with the state bid laws.
“I believe they want to get those out in the next several weeks,” Tefft said.
City Engineer Mark Cressotti said that the North Elm Street improvements “are pretty much on the same timeline as the Columbia Greenway.”
The $4 million North Elm Street and Notre Dame Street improvement projects is being funded through a $10 million bond already approved by the City Council for improvements to the Routes 10 & 202 corridor. That work includes installation of new drainage, deep-sump basing to capture sediment, reconstruction of the road bed, and widening of the pavement to accommodate dedicated turning lanes.
“We expect to put those out within the next three weeks,” Cressotti said. “The city has already awarded a contract to ET&L Corporation of Stow for construction of the bridge over East Silver Street and the underpass between Hedges Avenue and Taylor Avenue. They’ve already ordered the steel which is being fabricated for the bridge.”
The state has awarded the city a $2 million grant for the next element of the Columbia Greenway. Cressotti said the remained of that work will be funded through Chapter 90 money from the state.
Cressotti said awarding that element of the project in January was needed because the contractor has to order the steel needed for the East Silver Street Bridge and complete construction of both the bridge and the underpass by June 30.
The contract which will be release in the near future is for the work to extend the rail trail from the south side of East Silver Street, where it currently terminates, to the area of the Stop & Shop supermarket on Main Street. That contract will also include construction of the first phase of the Westfield River Levee Walk between Elm Street and Sackett Street.
The city is also preparing to advertise a contract to install sidewalks and curbing along Franklin Street.
”We’re already under contract for milling and paving Franklin Street, but the curbing, either granite or concrete, has to be set first,” Cressotti said.
