Wondering what’s going on with your favorite City project? Engineering Director Micah Siemers gives us an update in this week’s Projects Update.
Delaware mill & overlay
Wet conditions have caused some delays in the completion of the Delaware overlay project, which involves a mill and overlay of Delaware Avenue from Fifth Street to Hillcrest Drive.
“We have been waiting for better weather conditions to finish the Delaware mill and overlay north of Adams Boulevard,” Siemers said. “For asphalt, the existing surface has to be dry and the temperature has to be 45 degrees and rising.”
Contract crews finished the intersection reconstruction at Sixth Street and Delaware and have been waiting on appropriate weather to finish some curb work north of the intersection and then lay asphalt, Siemers said.
“The long-range forecast looks better than it has looked, but there are some rain chances that could still impact the work,” he said. “Once the curb and asphalt work is complete. there is some striping work remaining, primarily adjacent to Central Middle School, as well as a storm sewer inlet that needs to be raised. I anticipate the project being wrapped up by mid-March, if we can get some good weather.”
City Beat readers may recall that a nearly 75-foot section of the former Bartlesville Interurban Railway was uncovered during this street renovation. The Interurban operated more than 100 years ago on 10.1 miles of track connecting Dewey, Tuxedo, Bartlesville and the three smelters southwest of town. For more information, see City preserves portion of 100-year-old Interurban Railway.
Funding for the mill and overlay project was approved by voters in the 2020 General Obligation Bond Election.
Civitan shade structure
The shade structure at Civitan Park, located at 1430 S.E. Silver Lake Road, was removed last year and the park was closed after deficiencies were found in the structure by City staff.
The structure is undergoing repairs and will be reinstalled as soon as the ground is dry enough to move the necessary heavy equipment into the park.
“With all the rain and snow we’ve received in recent weeks, the ground is too wet to move the equipment in,” said Siemers. “We are working with the contractor to identify the appropriate timing to complete this project. We hope to have the structure reinstalled by spring.”
The structure was donated to the City by the local Civitan group in 2014.
For more information, see Shade structure removal to start next month.
Veterans Park Memorial
The Veterans Park Memorial project consists of the installation of seven flag poles with landscaping, a reflection bench, some signage and sidewalk to access the improvements at the City-owned Veterans Park, located at 312 S.W. Virginia Ave.
Bids were opened on the project in mid-December 2023, but even the lowest bid submitted for the project was above the donation budget, Siemers said.
“The original plans included pervious concrete pavement as a request from the organization that donated the funding for the project,” he said. “This type of concrete is more expensive to install than a typical concrete sidewalk due to a few different factors. Unfortunately, the low bid was still around $56,000 over the $150,000 available budget.”
He said Engineering Department staff have been working with the low bidder to look at options for modifying the project within the available bid items to bring the cost closer to the available budget. Most likely, the type of concrete will be changed which will eliminate some of the bid items required for this type of material, but will not affect the overall look or functionality of the project.
“We anticipate asking the City Council to award a contract at the Feb. 5 City Council meeting and then moving forward with some of the options to reduce cost during construction,” Siemers said. “If all goes as planned, we hope to have the project completed around Memorial Day. However, there is the potential for material lead-time issues on the flag poles, which could push that to a later date.”
Crestland concrete panel rehab
Work continues on the Crestland concrete panel replacement project between Adams Boulevard and Baylor Drive.
“Work on Baylor Place is almost done, with a few panels in the eastbound lane left to complete,” Siemers said. “Once they finish Baylor Place, they will begin work on Crestland. We anticipate they will work from Baylor to Adams.”
Work on the project, which was approved by voters in the 2020 G.O. Bond Election, should be complete by late spring or early summer.