Intersection Costs Higher Than Expected

WINONA LAKE - Town officials learned Tuesday they severely underestimated the cost of redesigning the Argonne Road intersection at Park Avenue.

Despite total bids that are about 70 percent higher than expected, town council voted Tuesday to move ahead with the project that involves a redesign of Park Avenue near the intersection.

Preliminary work has already begun, and some officials suggested it was too late to turn back.

"I hate to see us start something and not finish it even though we bit off more than we can chew," said councilman Harold Dunn.

Council member Edna Gamble said the new cost figures were a "jolt," and said she believed the town might have "jumped the gun" in its eagerness to begin the work.

"We should have had this dialogue months ago," Gamble said.

Oddly enough, the only bidder on the project - Phend and Brown of Milford - was later criticized for a recent project on the island.

Officials expected construction costs to be about $96,000, but Phend and Brown proposed the work would cost $146,000.

In addition to that, town engineer Larry Long had predicted the cost of signalization for the project would be $6,000. That would entail using existing equipment and moving the wooden poles.

But a contractor who specializes in signalization said the cost would be $33,000.

Mike Delp, of Michiana Contractors, said the existing equipment is outdated. For example, the standard size of individual lamps (red, yellow and green lights) used by the state and other municipalities is 12 inches wide. Most of the lamps at the intersection are 8 inches.

The control box that runs the equipment is also "antiquated," he said.

Part of the cost increase involves signals for left turn lanes for all of the roads, a chief design aspect of the project.

Instead of stringing the signals on wires, the proposed package calls for steel poles with extended arms, Delp said.

Town Council President Brent Wilcoxson recommended the town's redevelopment commission might be able to pick up some of the unexpected cost of signalization.

Long said increased costs for construction of the intersection were due in part to the town's desire to keep the intersection open during the project. Phend and Brown's cost rose because they will need flag men to control traffic, he said.

The higher bid was also due to the cost of installing curbs, Long said.

While Long said he believed the bid was high, he also expressed doubt the town could get it done cheaper if they re-bid.

Long said he believed he could work with the contractor to trim about $5,600 from the bid, and council voted unanimously to move ahead with the project, which is slated to begin after the Fourth of July weekend.

The project would greatly simplify a confusing intersection that included five converging roads. Chestnut Street was recently closed off south of the intersection, and preliminary reconstruction of Park Avenue, looping it around the "Winona" mound, has already begun.

Immediately after the vote, Long presented a list of problems with paving and curb work done by Phend and Brown on the island project.

After hearing about the problems, council voted to withhold $56,000 in remaining payments until the problems are resolved.

Among the deficiencies are numerous cracks in pavement on West Canal Street, 13 curb cracks in a 200-foot span and a lack of drainage at the intersection of Court Street and Auditorium Boulevard.

Pavement on Auditorium was damaged by a contractor working on a nearby seawall, Long said.

Damage was also allegedly caused by a NIPSCO crew, Long said.

Officials plan to discuss the issues with NIPSCO and the two contractors.