Road Contract Awarded as Township Races Against Bridge Funding Deadline
The Manhattan Township Highway Department has awarded a $91,000 contract for its annual road resurfacing program, while simultaneously facing a critical deadline that puts $500,000 in county funding for a major bridge project at risk.
At the April 8 township meeting, Highway Commissioner Jim Baltas announced that Steffens 3D Construction submitted the winning bid for this year’s tar and chip projects. The $91,000 price tag does not include the cost of stone, which the Road District will supply itself. To highlight rising costs, Commissioner Baltas noted that a similar project in 2016 cost only $36,000.
More urgently, the commissioner reported that the Kankakee Street Bridge replacement project is scheduled to go out for bids by July 16, 2025. If the bidding process is delayed beyond August 2025, the township will lose a $500,000 grant from Will County earmarked for the construction. The anticipated start date for the bridge work is spring 2026.
In other highway news, the demolition of the Baker Road Bridge began in early April as planned. The board approved the highway commissioner’s expenses as part of the finance report.
Latest News Stories
Executive Committee Advances Dissolution of Southeast Joliet Sanitary District
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Board Legislative Committee for January 6, 2026
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Capital Improvements & IT Committee for January 6, 2026
Public Works Committee: $18.8 Million Contract Awarded for Lorenzo Road Bridge Over BNSF Railway
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Board Public Health & Safety Committee for January 7, 2026
Executive Committee: Relaxes Rules for Retiring Employee Proclamations
Lobbyist Updates: State Session Resumes; Transit Safety Concerns Raised
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Board Finance Committee for January 6, 2026
Capital Imp Committee: Facilities Director Reports on VAC Progress and Critical Health Department Elevator Repairs
‘Good Food For All’ Initiative Proposes Local Agricultural Asset Mapping for Will County
Public Works Committee Advances $3.2 Million Engineering Contract for Mills Road Reconstruction
Board Members Debate “Commitment to Truth” in Media Resolution
Executive Committee: Speaker VanDuyne and Member Butler Clash Over Removal of Committee Chair
Finance Committee: County Appropriates Fees from $25 Million Wilmington Warehouse Project