St. John to issue bid call for Park Avenue project

These 2013 photos show the before (left) and after (right) reconstruction pictures of Broadway Street in St. John.

Phase II of the St. John Park Avenue reconstruction project is slated for this summer, and a call for bids has been issued by the town.

The first phase of the project was completed in 2013, said Jason Reece, staff engineer at Anderson Perry & Associates in Walla Walla.

Reece said that Phase I included reconstruction of Broadway Street to Nob Hill, and “phase two sandwiches phase one.” He said included in this project will be reconstruction of Nob Hill to the city limits and Broadway to Front Street (State Route 23).

“There’s going to be some storm water improvement, curb replacement, gutter improvements and road reconstruction,” Reece said.

Reece explained that the road from Railway Avenue will be ground down.

“Most of that’s going to get ground down about two inches,” he said.

Reece said that other roads will be completely re-done.

“From the railroad north to Nob Hill, that will be torn out and re-done,” he said. “And the railroad will get a new concrete crossing, too.”

Reece said that the funding will be coming from the state.

“It’s getting the majority of the funding through the Transportation Improvement Board,” he said. “They just approved the bid.”

Bids from contractors have not yet been received, but the project has been estimated at $550,000, Reece noted.

Bids will be received until April 7 at 10 a.m. at the St. John Town Hall, at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud. Reece said the bid award is expected to be awarded April 11.

He added that this project will be a nice culmination of goals set more than five years ago.

“The St. John Park Avenue reconstruction project was discussed in early 2010, and the goal was set to fully reconstruct Park Avenue,” Reece said. “With this project, it will fully complete that.”