TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Beth Beatty, City Manager
SUBJECT:
title
Award of Professional Services Agreement for the I-80 Des Plaines River Bridge Community Plan to CDM Smith in an Amount Not to Exceed $392,000.
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BACKGROUND:
The reconstruction of the Interstate 80 bridges over the Des Plaines River has required the full acquisition of approximately 80 parcels by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) - see attached map. The building of two new bridges will affect those residents that are remaining in their homes by bisecting their community again, similar to the original construction of I-80. The impacts on those residents remaining in the community will have both short-term (construction) and long-term (permanent bisection) effects. IDOT is required at the state and federal level to mitigate these effects. One of the mitigation measures that IDOT has committed to is the preparation of a Community Plan that will determine the community's capital investment needs and prepare a cost-estimate and implementation plan.
With large-scale infrastructure projects such as this, IDOT has preferred to have the local municipality manage the Community Plan. In 2022, the City of Joliet signed a letter of intent with IDOT to accept $400,000 in funding for the development of a Community Plan specifically targeting the areas affected by the reconstruction of the Interstate 80 Bridges over the Des Plaines River (see attached map). IDOT has also committed $3.5 million towards the implementation of recommended improvements identified in the forthcoming Community Plan to be spent in the Des Plaines River Bridge community area.
IDOT approved the budget for this project on March 1, 2023. The City Council approved an Intergovernmental Grant Agreement with IDOT for this project at their August 1, 2023 meeting. The City delayed starting this project in order to provide the State of Illinois more time to complete the land acquisition and resident relocation proc...
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