Valpo unveils and begins $5.6M street, sidewalk and pathway projects for 2022
The Valparaiso City Council reviewed expansive planned projects now underway around Valparaiso for sidewalk repairs, alley improvements, road painting and paving needs for this year, and the formula for funding, at the June 13 city council meeting while discussing the more than $5 million investment.
City Engineer Mike Jabo presented the timeline for projects and each of the phases for the program, explaining targeted areas were based on input from residents and businesses.
“These current plans are part of larger plan within three to five years for the roads and sidewalk needs in Valparaiso,” Jabo said.
“I’ll be coming back to you later in the summer for what the long-term plan looks like. But you’ll see a few of these current projects already staring right now.”
Jabo said projects were designed and approved based on need and demand, citing examples like the start of a new trail from Ogden Gardens on Harrison Avenue which will eventually extend to Froberg Road, and also a much-needed sidewalk long-planned for along Center Street for the benefit of children walking from the neighboring Memorial Elementary School.
“While we have many new trails and pathways still being extended to complete missing gaps, it’s important that we continue to maintain and care for all of our existing roads and sidewalks that we have so we’re not having to later rip them out and replace,” Jabo said.
“I also want to emphasize that it’s in our best interest that we continue to take care of our main streets first, like what we did last year with our work on Calumet, Roosevelt and Morgan in a big way, and then move on to the communities, with the point being, the big streets have to be the priority because if you let those major roads go, they will cost you two or three times more to redo than a subdivision street.”
The cost of the 2022 street and sidewalk projects total $5,688,750 with just more than $1.9 million devoted for sidewalks and pathways, and more than $2.5 million allotted to paving, as the first two financial priorities. The proposed funding sources include $245,000 from the city wheel tax, $570,000 from excise tax and $221,500 from a neighborhood grant from the
Regional Development Commission, among other available financial allocations already secured and designated.
Jabo warned that since his project budgeting began in January, the costs associated with paving “has skyrocketed and doubled” with rising oil and fuel cost. He said contract bids are currently being accepted and anticipates most projects to begin following the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
“I commend our city engineer and all his departments on the great job planning and preparing for these summer projects,” Valparaiso Mayor Matt Murphy said.
“We look forward to an aggressive summer (paving) project season.”