The State Street Design Project Oversight Committee unanimously voted Thursday night to adopt an accelerated construction amendment, making it possible for reconstruction to start and finish a year ahead of schedule, in 2006.
This amendment changes the start of the State Street reconstruction to May 10 and the completion to sometime in September of 2005.
Project engineers and planners believe they can extend the original reconstruction project beyond the 200 block of State Street and into the 300 and 400 block in a single year, which will minimize the potential interference to State Street businesses while making the project as efficient as possible.
To accomplish this feat, engineers will eliminate construction on the area near the intersection of State Street and Gorham Street, effectively \jumping"" Gorham St. during the construction. Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, added that a federal grant also helped to speed up the process.
Before the resolution was passed, Verveer and Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, agreed on an amendment that would allow this accelerated schedule as long as more money was not added to the current reconstruction budget.
