Work On Four Mile Underpass Set To Begin Again Next Week

Work on the Four Mile Road underpass project is set to begin again next week, but now the road won't be reopened until July 2013.

The road was originally closed in October 2011 and was set to be completed December 2012.

Village engineer Mike Hayek told the last month that he needed to rebid out some of the track work because Union Pacific, the company that originally planned to do the work, pulled out of doing part of the project because they didn't have the manpower to do it, according to a story in the Journal Times.

"The hold up with the UP isn't something the Village could have anticipated," Hayek said.

The Village Board approved the new contract with Volkmann Railroad Builders, Menominee Falls last week for $367,134. But that doesn't include the cost of the engineering work and steel track, which the Village purchased.

The numbers the Union Pacific bid out and the contract with Volkmann aren't comparable, Hayek said, because Union Pacific was going to do all of the track work for $1.4 million, but now they are only doing some of the work.

The scope of the project has also changed to include two bridges and not one. They've also reduced the track shift from three to two. This will mean the Village won't have to coordinate as much with Union Pacific.

"It's hard to say what the total will be because UP still has to connect on both ends and we don’t know what that cost will be until it's done," Hayek said. "But I don't think the cost will me be more."