Bloomfield Road construction set to begin Monday

Construction is set to begin Monday on the first phase of the Bloomfield Road project. The project will close stretches of Bloomfield until July 1.

The first phase of construction work will close the portion of Bloomfield between Siemers Drive and Ramsey Creek Bridge. City crews have laid extra gravel on a pre-existing utility road leading from Shawnee Parkway to the Stonebridge subdivision to serve as a local detour for the mostly elderly residents of the subdivision.

The second phase of the project will close this detour forcing residents of the subdivision to take Benton Hill Road to reach Route K and the commercial district.

Phase two will begin sometime in mid-May. During this part of the construction, only police and emergency vehicles will be able to travel through the work zones in the event of an emergency.

City engineer Jay Stencel said he is pleased with the progress of the work noting that dirt work has begun in the area and SBC and Ameren have been prompt in moving their utility poles and piping out of the way.

"This one is actually going according to plan. So we'll just keep our fingers crossed," said Stencel.

Nip Kelley Equipment Co., contracted by the city for the work, will have two crews working on the project instead of one they usually employ. This extra manpower is designed to assure an on-time completion of the project said city officials.

Nip Kelley an extra incentive for . The liquidated damage cost -- incurred if the company misses its completion deadline -- is $3,000 per day. This figure is three times higher than one the city normally uses.

Signage has also been placed along Highway 75 encouraging motorists to continue to Route K excepting Benton Hill traffic making local stops.

The project will widen the road and add sidewalks.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245