Paving is being done this week on Trinity Ave and 125th St on the east edge of Paton. The paving is being done nearly a year later than planned but at a substantial savings.
The project was scheduled for last summer, but rainy weather during the spring and summer kept the county secondary roads crew from doing the necessary grading. When it became apparent the grading couldn’t be done in time for fall 2015 paving, county engineer Wade Weiss delayed the bid letting.
The 2015 cost was estimated at $809,000. Bid letting this past winter yielded a low bid of $639,518.62 by Wicks Construction of Decorah. Weiss called it “a good year for bidding” when the contract was awarded in February.
Per the contract, the paving was to start no later than Aug. 29. Wicks beat that deadline by more than three months.
The project will receive $425,000 in RISE (Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy) funds from the Iowa Department of Transportation. RISE funds are earmarked for infrastructure improvement that promote economic development. Paving Trinity Ave and 125th St are integral to opening the new Bauer factory near Paton, with an estimated 30 to 40 new jobs.
The remaining funds for the project come from the county’s share of farm-to-market funds.
