Batavia seeks to fix downtown sidewalks with stimulus money

If it can, Batavia would like to get some sidewalks repaired in downtown when Wilson Street is resurfaced this summer.

But what kind of sidewalks - brick, concrete or a combination - will be up to the Illinois Department of Transportation, because the project is part of its Local Agency Pavement Preservation Program.

City officials learned unofficially last month that bids for the street resurfacing, budgeted at more than $1 million, may have come in nearly $250,000 under budget. Because the project is being paid for with federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act economic stimulus money, the city is entitled to the full allocation. (That's different from normal for federally-funded projects.)

Sidewalk work was not considered when the project was designed.

Some of the sidewalks are made of concrete and some are brick. The brick pavers, particularly around the intersection of and Route 31 and on Wilson near the Batavia Library, are crumbling or missing, posing a trip hazard. Their surfaces are peeling, cracking and popping off. Water could be seeping in via spray containing road de-icing salt, or through the joints. City workers replaced hundreds of the pavers last year. The city has already replaced many of the pavers.

Also, sections of concrete sidewalk are pulling away from the backside of curbs throughout the downtown.

Wilson will be resurfaced from Raddant to Randall roads. The city expects the work to be done this summer, but IDOT has not set a construction start date yet.