Cost up for Towanda-Vernon upgrade

Posted on October 6, 2017
Towanda Avenue
Costs are rising for upgrades to the intersection of Towanda Ave. and Vernon Ave.
(Photo by Eric Stock/WJBC)

 

By Howard Packowtiz

BLOOMINGTON- Bloomington taxpayers know how much more they’ll have to pay for unexpected cost overruns to upgrade the intersection of Vernon Avenue and Towanda Avenue, which borders with Normal.

The Bloomington City Council Monday night will be asked to approve spending $125,000 in motor fuel taxes, boosting Bloomington’s share to $620,000.

Earlier, the Normal Town Council approved, without discussion, a $35,000 increase, raising the town’s share to about $255,000.

The cost went up after crews discovered pavement joints were in worse shape than expected. Repairs to the joints are necessary to increase the life expectancy of the newly-laid asphalt.

Bloomington is paying more than Normal’s because there’s more pavement work to do on the city’s side of the border.

The two cities hired Rowe Construction to install new traffic signals, construct a northbound right-turn lane on Towanda, and make ramp improvements on all four corners to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Howard Packowitz can be reached for comment at [email protected].

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