City Commissioners approved a $2.055 million contact to United Materials for the Lower Northside Street Reconstruction project during their Feb. 6 meeting.

The project will reconstruct six blocks of roadway, installing base course, asphalt pavement, curb and gutter, storm drain inlets and Americans with Disabilities compliant curb ramps.

The project extends along 7th Avenue North from Park Drive North to 9th Street North, and along 3rd Avenue North from Park Drive North to 3rd Street North.

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Staff deemed the project necessary to replace aging infrastructure as the curb and gutter is deteriorating and nonexistent in some areas; asphalt cracking is widespread causing poor drivability and causing faster deterioration by water infiltration and subsequent freeze/thaw cycles.

Many of the storm drain inlets were made of bricks that have deteriorated or are missing, according to staff, and existing handicapped ramps don’t meet ADA compliance and are creating hazards and barriers in an area with high pedestrian traffic near Gibson Park.

The project is tentatively scheduled to begin May 8, depending on weather, material availability and contractor scheduling, according to staff, and take about four months to complete.

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Construction will require closing portions of 7th and 3rd Avenues North.

About 10 trees will be removed as part of the project to accommodate the installation of ramps to meet city and ADA standards. Twenty trees will be planted in nearby locations to replace those being removed, according to staff.

City engineering staff designed the project and will perform construction inspection and contract administration duties.

Staff is planning two other projects in the area:

• a city water main replacement project, begun in 2023, to replace aging water mains under the roadways being reconstructed. This project is expected to finish in the spring as the roadway project is starting.
• a separate pavement preservation project along Park Drive North is scheduled for the summer by the Montana Department of Transportation and is expected to have minimal impact to the city’s street project.

The city received one bid for the project, from United Materials.

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The project was prioritized under the Public Works capital improvement plan and the street portion bring funded by the street fund and the storm drain portion being funded by the storm drain enterprise fund.

Staff is estimating that the fuel tax fund will cover 85 percent of the project with the storm drain fund covering the remaining 15 percent.

Staff wrote in their agenda report that commissioners could deny the contract, rebid the project later or cancel the project. They wrote that would result in gravel remaining in the water trenches along 7th and 3rd Avenues North. The city would be required to maintain those trenches until they could be paved, likely at additional cost, according to staff.