The Williamsburg City Council has approved authorization on a bid for the Monticello Avenue Trail project.
Aaron Small, city engineer, recently presented a bid from Howard Brothers Contractor to create the multi-use asphalt trail. The trail will extend parallel to Monticello Avenue between Ironbound Road and Treyburn Avenue.
The city received eight separate bids for the project but Howard Brothers provided the lowest cost at $1,185,643.90. With additional costs the project will total at $1,542,000.
That’s slightly higher than the budget for the project but, according to city documents, the city will transfer funds from the Monticello Avenue Improvements PPTA project which was under budget. In addition, William & Mary will be covering a portion of the cost.
Howard Brothers had also previously done work on Merrimac Trail with the city and Small said the city had been satisfied with the results.
However, 80 percent of the cost is being funded by the Federal Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside program which is administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation. With that funding, Small said the bid has to also be approved by VDOT but he is expecting the approval to come in any day.
Once VDOT approves the bid, Small said the city will work with the contractor to issue a Notice to Proceed in order to have construction begin as soon as possible.
Small said they expect construction to begin in November and be completed by the end of summer 2020.
During that time, traffic in the area will be slightly impacted. Small said there will be minor lane closures or shoulder closures. Since most of the work will occur on a road in a wooded area, Small said there will be minor traffic hold-ups while the area is cleared.
City Council also unanimously approved the transfer of funds to the project.
