Work on Weiser's East Galloway Street scheduled to start by June 15


City resident Steve Cooper asks questions during an informational open house last week on the planned improvements to East Galloway Street. City officials said the street will see more traffic and pedestrian use when the new Ridley’s store opens on East 6th Street. The city received a state grant to pay for much of the work and city crews will do the storm drains. Sidewalks will enhance the safety for pedestrians using the street. Photo by Steve Lyon
By: 
Steve Lyon
 The city of Weiser received two bids from contractors by last Thursday’s deadline to repave, add curbs and gutters and do other work along East Galloway Street from State Street east to East 6th Street. 
 Once the bids are reviewed by Keller Associates, the city’s engineering firm on the project, the selected contractor should get the green light to proceed by June 15, project manager Justin Walker said.
 Walker and city officials answered questions about the street project for local residents at an open house on Thursday at the Vendome.
 The city received a state grant for $880,000 to do the work through the competitive 2019 Local Strategic Initiatives Program. A total of 29 projects around the state were approved for funding at a cost of $24 million, including the city’s application. There is no matching money required from the city.
 The improvements to East Galloway Street are needed for a few reasons, officials said.
 The street has dips and bumps due to a waterline replacement project that need to be smoothed out. Pedestrian enhancements in the form of a sidewalk on the north side of East Galloway will make it a safer street for people walking. 
 Additionally, the street is likely to see an increase in traffic and pedestrian use when Ridley’s opens its new store on East 6th Street this summer. 
 Because the funding is limited to the $880,000 grant, the city plans to do some additional work with its own funds and crews, such as putting in storm drains along the street that were not part of the bid. The contractors who bid on the project submitted a base bid and additional bids on additive items that can be done as funding permits for flexibility on the project, Walker said. 
 The grant will cover the paving and curbs and gutters on both the north and south sides of Galloway, along with a continuous sidewalk on the north side of the street. If the funding allows, sidewalks will be constructed on the south side.
 The state will administer the grant and oversee the project through the Local Highway Transportation Council. The local funds are administered by LHTAC and eligible projects must be related to maintenance, and address safety and mobility. 
 The construction window for the project is the middle of June to the middle of August. The work will be done while Weiser Middle School is out for the summer. The project must be completed by December of 2019. The city will not have to acquire any rights of way to do the project. 
 “Our intention is to have the project done by Aug. 16,” Walker said.
 One homeowner on East Galloway Street who attended the open house said a sidewalk in front of his home will require him to buy a snow shovel and keep it cleared in the winter.
 The city council earlier this year approved a contract for $72,300 with Keller Associates for professional services for the final design and bidding services on the East Galloway Street project. 
 

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18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
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