The village council this week approved Triggi Construction, Inc.’s $258,117 bid to remove three islands from the middle of Roosevelt Road.
The village received three bids from contractors, and Triggi Construction’s was the lowest, much cheaper than the $310,695 estimated cost of the project.
In a few weeks, Triggi Construction is expected to begin replacing three medians near 7239, 7410, 7623 and 7635 Roosevelt Road. Decorative walls encasing trees and shrubs will be torn down and become short medians, four-inch-thick concrete slabs under brick pavers.
This change is a result of drivers repeatedly hitting the median near Roosevelt Road and Hannah Avenue, which creates a visual obstruction, as the Review has reported.
“Anytime somebody hits the median, it’s costing the village approximately $20,000 to fix the decorative concrete, fix and replace any water mechanisms that are there, electrical boxes and any landscaping,” Village Administrator Rachell Entler previously told the Review. “It’s happening more and more.”
The islands are a safety hazard and a major expense for the village. The decorative concrete that was used for the walls also is discontinued.
The Village of Forest Park and Christopher B. Burke Engineering, the village’s engineer, have worked with Triggi Construction before and deem them qualified for the job, officials said.
At the village council meeting July 22, Mayor Rory Hoskins and four commissioners approved Triggi Construction’s $258,117 bid. In June, the village council unanimously voted to go out to bid for the project to fix the stretches of sidewalk, though Commissioner Ryan Nero was absent from that meeting.
Triggi Construction will finish removing the islands by Oct. 15.
Roosevelt Road and the adjacent sidewalk will be open during construction, officials said.