Work on Dempster Street would begins in February 2010. The Village has hired DiMeo Brothers Inc. to install approximately 6,000 feet of 12-inch diameter water main along the centerline of Dempster Street from Lincoln Avenue to Central Avenue. DiMeo intends to begin work on February 15.

The water main installation is one of two contracts that will comprise improvements to the Dempster Street roadway. The second contract will provide the aesthetic and operational enhancements that have been discussed for many years and should begin right after the first contract is completed. The design for the second contract is complete, but the contractor has not been selected.

MAINTAINING TRAFFIC
Vehicular traffic and travel patterns will be affected by the construction of this project. Dempster Street is a State highway and all of the work will be completed to the standards and with the permission of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). Before the project starts, DiMeo will install changeable message signs at the east and west ends of the project to alert road users of the imminent work. In order to install the water main, DiMeo will establish a construction zone in the middle of the street. Traffic will need to be moved toward the curb. On-street parking will need to be eliminated for the duration of the project in order to provide the travel lanes. Temporary paint pavement markings will delineate the new travel lanes. Orange signs, barrels, barricades and portable concrete barriers will mark the construction zone. In addition to establishing a construction zone at the roadway centerline, DiMeo is authorized to close one lane in each direction between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. DiMeo’s maintenance of traffic plan has been communicated to the Village’s Police and Fire Departments.

The new water main will need to be connected to existing water mains on the cross streets. These side street connections will be installed across Dempster Street and will affect traffic in a different way from the mainline installation. Travel lanes will be shifted to safely move traffic around the work zone. Access to the intersection from a side street may be temporarily eliminated while this work is in progress. Similarly, every building water service line that needs to be connected to the new water main will be replaced to the shutoff valve in the sidewalk. Short, isolated segments of sidewalk will become part of the work zone. The Village requires the Contractor to provide temporary pedestrian access to businesses.

CONSTRUCTION STAGING
DiMeo plans to construct the project in two stages: west of Austin and east of Austin. The first stage will likely extend from Lincoln to a point just west of the beginning of the left turn lane at Austin. Within each stage, DiMeo anticipates setting up a work area delineated by concrete barriers or barrels that will be a few hundred feet long for work crews, material storage and equipment. This work area will temporarily eliminate the ability for all traffic to turn left across the centerline of Dempster Street.

PROJECT SCHEDULE
It is important to understand the schedule for this type of work is always dependent on favorable weather. It is relevant on this project that Dempster Street has a high traffic volume as well as a railroad crossing and an interstate expressway at both ends, all of which exacerbate the difficulty of reliably forecasting production rates. We anticipate the project being completed in May 2010. The first stage (Lincoln to Austin) should be completed by early April.

POINT OF CONTACT
We cannot know or predict exactly how everything is going to happen with this project. We are available to discuss the project with you as issues emerge. The Village has hired an engineer to provide that close coordination, so we can be aware of your needs relevant to this project and so we can make you aware of the needs of the project relevant to your business.

The Resident Engineer is Jeff Koenig. Jeff is an engineer with McDonough Associates, Inc., a consulting engineering company hired by the Village to observe the construction, document the work and provide coordination between all project stakeholders. Jeff reports to Village Public Works staff and will be on-site full-time during working hours.

BUSINESS-FRIENDLY PROJECT
The Village expects the improvements scheduled for Dempster Street will create a nice environment for customers to do business as well as to attract new businesses.

More detailed construction information will be relayed to you by the Resident Engineer when available.

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