City Council awards $25.5 million construction bid for Yorktown project

City Council unanimously voted to award JE Construction a construction contract for about 25.5 million dollars.

Councilmember of District 5, Gil Hernandez, explained how the road will look during construction.
"The current lanes, the two lanes are going to stay in place. They’re going to build the new side first. So it’s not going to actually disrupt that lane of traffic. It’s not going to change. And once they finish that, they’re going to open that side and reconstruct the other side to where it matches both sides," Hernandez said.

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So how is this being paid for?
"This is from a bond project. The design [bond] was in 2020. The actual construction [bond] for Yorktown was in 2022.

Hernandez says the construction should be more smooth than most projects, given there is not a lot of businesses in the stretch. KRIS 6 News Reporter Tony Jaramillo asked Hernandez how the city will navigate construction traffic with a new school set to open around the time the project may begin.

"I’m not confident about it, however, I did want to make sure we had lights, temporary traffic lights so we could have some protection for people coming in and out. How that’s all going to work, we won’t know until those processes are in place," Hernandez said.

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The city said in addition to the new lanes, the project will include; curbs, gutters, sidewalks, ADA-compliant curb ramps, signage, pavement markings, traffic signals, and enhanced street lighting. Along with these surface upgrades, the project will also involve improvements to the stormwater, water, wastewater, and gas infrastructure.

Edward and Charlene LaPrade, a couple living near Yorktown Boulevard gave their thoughts on the coming changes.

"Oh [it'll be] way easier, much easier. Go down to Flour Bluff from here with the extra lanes, it’ll be faster for people to go down there," they said.

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They also said they believe the temporary inconvenience of the construction will be worth it once it’s all said and done.

"It’s worth it to go through the pain of the construction to see all the new come in," Charlene LaPrade said.

Council member Hernandez said the project should be completed in 2 to 3 years from the beginning of construction.

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