Reconstruction of Kilgore’s Main Street took one more step toward completion at last week’s city council meeting.
True Roads Construction, a Hallsville-based construction company specializing in concrete work, was awarded the contract for sidewalks, curbs and gutters between Rusk Street and Henderson Blvd. Also Tuesday night, True Roads was awarded a separate contract for reconstruction of a headwall facing an unnamed drainage on Higginbotham Road and replacement of a wingwall at the Broadway Street bridge over Turkey Creek.
“It’s wonderful to see the construction move forward on these projects,” said Public Works Director Clay Evers. “The public has been very understanding in dealing with the inconveniences.”
Of the two projects, Evers said, the Main Street project will take priority over drainage improvements. True Roads, he said, knows “Main Street comes first.” The contract calls for the Main Street work to be complete within 150 days after the city issues a notice to proceed. With utility work on Main Street due to be completed within the next three to four weeks, that notice will likely be issued about September 1.
The worst of the worst road repairs (the big bumps) will be made as soon as the utility work is complete and most drivers will be pleased by the difference in ride quality after those handful of obstacles are removed. After that, the City’s construction crew will begin the piecemeal process of replacing the remaining damaged concrete panels.
“While True Roads will be involved on the Higginbotham and Broadway drainage projects during that time, Main Street is number one priority” Evers said.
True Roads’ contract for the Main Street work is $1,039,400 and their price for the two drainage projects is $127,000.
Wicker Construction is presently installing the final storm sewer inlet on Main Street. Once that’s done, Wicker crews will connect the water line to the city’s water system and will go through a “punch list” with the public works department.
“We are a few weeks behind our initial schedule on this project,” Evers said. “Our goal is to be done in May of ’23, and we think we may still make that timeline, but as a worst case scenario the project could push into June. Once the sidewalks are complete in February it’s going to completely change the feel of that project; the end will be in sight.”
For more information, contact Bill Woodall at 903-984-5081