By: Deborah Johnson Wood
The City of Grand Rapids is in a hurry to get Louis Street behind the new Grand Rapids Art Museum reopened for traffic, so they hired Wyoming Excavator to do the $278,000 project. Then they offered a cash incentive of $1,500 for every day they finish before the July 24th deadline. With an 8-day maximum, that incentive could save the company up to $12,000.
"The city has given a reasonable amount of time to get this done, and if the contractor can complete the work faster he's eligible for those incentives," says Tiiu Arrak, City spokesperson. "Wyoming Excavator has worked one or two jobs with the City for years."
It's been nearly two years since Louis Street closed for the GRAM's construction.
Last year, crews placed the water main under Louis Street in preparation for this year's finishing touches. The unfinished street allowed GRAM's construction crews to move equipment without damaging a new street.
Finishing touches include completing the street's infrastructure and storm sewer work. The City will finish the south side with a new curb and gutter, driveway approaches, a decorative lamppost, landscaping, two flowering Chanticleer Pear trees, and a decorative brick and concrete sidewalk.
The GRAM's contractor will finish off the north side in similar fashion.
"Everything is geared to coordinate with the downtown streetscape plan," Arrak says.
During construction, Louis will be closed to all traffic. Monroe Center to Ottawa will handle northbound traffic off Monroe Avenue.
Source: Tiiu Arrak, City of Grand Rapids
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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