The Duluth City Council recently approved a $2,560,630 contract with Stewart Brothers for the 2022 Local Maintenance Improvement Grant full-depth reclamation and paving of nine city streets.
This project will repair and resurface Bennigan Lane, Leprechan Way, Galway Court, Longlake Drive, Longlake Way, Towne Village Drive, Creek Village Court, Stone Village Court and River Village Court. The first streets listed are in the back half of the Castlemaine neighborhood, the last four are the entire Olde Town Residences neighborhood, and the Longlake roads complete a section of Riverbrooke.
Documents state the city received only one bid for this project. Duluth staff and their city engineers believe receiving only one bid is a result of contractors being overwhelmed with work combined with shortages in materials and labor. City documents also note that other local governments have advertised for work and received no bids.
When presented at the city council meeting, Duluth Public Works Director Audrey Turner noted costs are 30-40% higher than originally anticipated.
Some streets will receive full-depth reclamation, the process of pulverizing all layers of existing asphalt and recycling it on the spot to create a new road surface. Other streets will be milled and inlaid, a method of grinding the surface layer of pavement and inlaying new asphalt on top to create a new smooth roadway.
Work is expected to begin this month .
