Work on $6.9 million water main replacement project from 12th to 24th on Broadway expected to begin in April

QUINCY — The Quincy City Council at its Tuesday meeting approved a bid of $6,917,962 from Rees Construction Co. for the lead water main replacement project from 12^th to 24^th Streets on Broadway.

When Alderman Greg Fletcher (R-1) asked Jeffrey Conte, director of public works, if the project was a prelude to the eventual repaving of Broadway, Conte said he was correct. He said he expects Rees to begin work by early April and finish by late August — in time for the Illinois Department of Transportation to begin its work on repaving the road, which is a state highway (Illinois Route 104).

“We’re trying to move (the new water mains) under the sidewalk so that in the future, if we have to repair a water main break, it won’t be under the driving lanes. We don’t want to tear up that new street,” Conte said. “But there is some AT&T duct work on the north side and some gas lines that preclude us from putting (the water mains) in all the way (under) the sidewalk.”

Conte said 92 lead service lines will be replaced. He added that the city will do a minimal replacement of pavement when the project is finished. 

“Then when the state comes through, they can tear it all off and start over,” he said.

Conte also said the city also will abandon a 20-inch transmission main along 22nd Street between Broadway and Chestnut that is no longer useful. He said the water mains under Broadway from 12^th to 22^nd and under North 22^nd from Broadway to Chestnut were constructed in 1882. The water main under Broadway from 22nd to 24th was constructed in 1906. 

Conte said only one bid was received for the project. He said the original estimate for the project was $5.9 million. 

“The way we developed that bid was based upon previous work that we’ve awarded, and then we (added) a 10 percent factor for the difficulty of working on Broadway under live traffic,” he said. “In retrospect, we probably should have used a little higher number (after) talking to the contractor about getting the work done and the number of lane closures and how that restricts their productivity.

“The other thing is the time factor. We are trying to get done almost $7 million (of work) in 4½ months. (Rees is) teaming with Laverdiere (Construction) from Macomb to get enough crews to get this project done before the state comes in, so that also adds to the project cost. Of course, I’m not happy that it came in over budget or over our estimate, but I do think after reviewing the bid and talking to the contractor, I just feel it’s a good number.”

The city will spend $4,710,998.60 from its water fund, $467,531.60 from its sewer fund and $1,739,432.10 from its capital fund to pay for the project.

Conte said a second contract for replacement of the water main (constructed in 1911) under Broadway from 24th to 30th is being developed.

In other action, aldermen:

• Gave permission for raffles to be conducted by the Police Benevolent and Protective Association (PBPA) Unit 12, St. Francis Solanus Church and Quincy Medical Group Foundation Cancer Crush.
• Approved the selection of Steve Salrin as the chief of the Quincy Fire Department by the Board of Fire and Police Commission. Salrin’s formal swearing-in is scheduled for March 3.
• Denied the implementation of “no parking” signs on Gardner Park Drive and of stop signs at the intersection of Meadowbrook Road and Hill and Brook, as recommended by the Traffic Commission.
• Approved the replacement of yield signs with stop signs at the intersection of Sixth and Maple, with traffic on Maple stopping for traffic on Sixth.
• Approved a resolution authorizing Quincy Transit Lines to apply for the Downstate Operating Assistance Grant. Transportation Director Marty Stegeman said the application will request $3,973,671 for Fiscal Year 2026. He said the grant is applied for annually through the Illinois Department of Transportation and assists in paying most of Quincy Transit Lines’ annual operating expenses annually.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the execution and amendment of Section 5311 Grant agreement and the acceptance of the “Special Warranty” included in the 5311 Federal grant opportunity. The 5311 Formula for Rural Grantees is a yearly grant that Quincy Transit Lines applies for and will be awarded $693,292 for Fiscal Year 2026. These funds offset the expenses for the operation of both the administrative and operations functions of Quincy Transit Lines. These funds are subject to a “match” requirement from the city. City matching funds are acquired through contracts for service from local agencies and supplemented with funds from the General Fund.
• Approved an invoice for $9,646 from Core and Main of Washington, Ill., for parts used for maintenance and repair of underground water infrastructure.
• Approval an invoice for $33,600 from Core and Main of St. Louis to perform work on a double line stops for the Jefferson Street CSO Phase 2B Project. This work was necessitated when the Department of Utilities and Engineering couldn’t isolate a six-inch water main (installed in 1879) and 10-inch water main (installed in 1911) under Front Street between Washington and Jefferson, where Keokuk Contractors was installing a new 18-inch sanitary sewer approximately 14 feet underneath the two water mains.
• Approved an invoice for $8,710.34 from Central Stone Co. for crushed limestone aggregate.
• Approved an invoice for $12,000.06 from Hawkins, Inc., of Roseville, Minn., for liquid polymer, used in the dewatering of biosolids, at $2.62 per pound.
• Approved an invoice for $7,513 from Vinson and Sill of Lima for the repair of a collapsed shared sewer lateral at 1503 N. 17th. The homeowner at 1503 N. 17th contacted Vinson and Sill regarding sewage backing up into the residence. A video inspection revealed the residence was connected to a common sewer lateral that serves four residences on 17th Street between Maple and Locust. 
• Approved a quote from Core and Main of Washington, Ill., for $24,750 for nine fire hydrants.
• Approved an invoice from Republic Services of Quincy for $7,627.32 for the disposal of dewatered biosolids generated during the startup and testing of new dewatering equipment at the waste water treatment plant.
• Approved buying up to 3,288 tons of road maintenance salt from Compass Minerals America, Inc., for an amount not exceeding $293,981.