The Village of Manhattan Board approved a $1.94 million contract with PT Ferrell Construction for the reconstruction of Eastern Avenue from North Street to Smith Road during their July 1 meeting.

The project, which received unanimous board approval, will completely rebuild the deteriorated roadway with a four-foot shoulder and improved drainage. Village Administrator Justin Young explained the road has minimal base material beneath the asphalt, necessitating total reconstruction rather than resurfacing.

“There’s really no base there,” Young told the board. “There’s just like asphalt and like an inch of gravel. So that’s why it’s a total reconstruction.”

The project cost came in under the village’s original $2.5 million budget. Combined with a separate $420,000 culvert installation, the total Eastern Avenue improvements will cost approximately $2.36 million.

Construction will include installation of box culverts, guard rails, and resurfacing, with completion expected to take several months depending on weather conditions. The project will require road closures with detours using US Route 52 and North Street, though local traffic will be maintained.

Engineer representatives from Robinson Engineering explained they conducted soil borings and pavement analysis to minimize unexpected costs during construction. “We prefer to put as many bid items in there for what-if situations as possible to get them competitively bid as opposed to a change order on the back end,” the engineer told the board.

The Metropolitan railroad will handle track-related improvements separately, planning to switch from asphalt to concrete around the railroad crossing to reduce future maintenance issues.

Trustee discussions focused on ensuring the project stays within budget and addressing the road’s deteriorating condition, which board members noted has worsened significantly since the project was initially planned last year.

The village expects PT Ferrell to begin work following a pre-construction meeting, with some specialized components requiring a six-week manufacturing period before installation can proceed.