Two Flossmoor streets considered “the worst of the worst” will be repaved this year as part of the village’s annual motor fuel tax maintenance program.
At the July 6 meeting, village board members approved a $271,161 contract with D Construction of Coal City, Illinois, with the bulk of the funds coming from the state’s MFT revenues. Streets scheduled for repaving are Sunset Avenue from Heather Hill Crescent to Oakmont Avenue and Hamlin Avenue from Flossmoor Road to the street’s north end.
Public Works Director John Brunke told board members that Sunset and Hamlin topped the list of Flossmoor streets that are in the poorest condition.
Each year, the village targets 1.5 miles of local streets for repaving in the MFT program. The work along Sunset and Hamlin totals 0.69 miles but Brunke said it is possible that there will be a second phase in this year’s MFT program.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the strain that the virus is putting on municipal finances, village officials will not decide until later this year if another street — Travers Lane between Hutchison Lane and Collett Road — can be paved during the second phase.
Flossmoor officials allocated $450,000 for the MFT program when the budget for the current 2021 fiscal year was approved in April, with $300,000 coming from state motor fuel taxes and $150,000 from the village’s general fund.
“Staff plans on letting another phase of the program later this fiscal year if revenues are realized,” Brunke said in a memo to the board. If that happens, the village would have another $179,000 available for the second phase, with construction possibly taking place next spring.
In recent years, the MFT fund has not been enough to keep up with the continued deterioration of many Flossmoor streets. Motor Fuel Tax allotments have gone down in the past few years and material costs have steadily risen. Flossmoor officials have contemplated asking residents to vote in a referendum that would fund a comprehensive street repair program.
The MFT repaving program also includes spot curb repairs and sidewalk replacement with Americans With Disabilities Act modifications in the necessary areas on the streets where resurfacing work is performed.
D Construction submitted the lowest of five bids that were received from construction companies. Brunke said the village sent out bid packets to 23 companies, 18 of which are certified diverse firms. D Construction successfully completed the MFT repaving work in the 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 fiscal years, he said.
No start date has been set for the beginning of the work on Sunset and Hamlin. Brunke said it will probably take place in the late summer or early fall.
Flossmoor has had an MFT street program for the last 27 years. The village, along with other municipalities in Illinois, receives revenues from the state for motor fuel taxes that are collected locally. In Flossmoor, MFT funds are also used to purchase salt that’s spread on local streets when conditions are icy in the winter.