The Wilmington City Council recently awarded over $6.8 million in construction contracts for two projects.
Meanwhile, good news has come from another project. Kenan Fountain, an iconic piece of Wilmington history for over a century, is flowing again for the first time in three years.
A $4,378,734 construction contract was awarded to King Asphalt, Inc., and an associated contingency fund for the Dawson and Wooster Streetscape Improvement Project was approved.
Highland Paving Co., LLC was awarded a $2,430,217 contract for the construction of Phase II of the Eastwood Road Access Management Project.
The contract awards were unanimously approved at the City Council’s Aug. 18 meeting at City Hall at Skyline Center.
Both companies were the lowest of two
bidders, said Kyle Burden, the city’s engineering project manager.
Money saved on rebid
The Dawson and Wooster Streetscape Improvement Project had to be rebid because there was a defect in the original bidding process, Burden said. He said this bid is “in the ballpark of about $1.2 million lower” than the original bid.
The project includes filling sidewalk gaps, installing curb bump-outs, improving pedestrian and Americans with Disabilities Act access and resurfacing Dawson and Wooster streets between Third and 17th streets.
The project, which spans about 0.75 miles, is partially funded by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The Department of Transportation is covering the cost of all the resurfacing work for the project, Burden said.
“Under this contract, their guaranteed contribution is about $1.7 million, but that contribution can go up to $2.165 million if there’s any overruns for the resurfacing portion of the project,” he said.
As part of the resolution, the City Council abided the city staff’s recommendation and increased the contingency fund for the project from the standard 10% to 15% of the contract amount, which equals $656,850.
Burden said the project is expected to be completed before the end of 2027.
Eastwood Road improvements
Phase II of the Eastwood Road Access Management Project includes the addition of a center landscaped median on Eastwood Road, signal and pedestrian improvements, as well as the resurfacing of Eastwood Road from Rogersville Road to Cavalier Drive. The project spans approximately 0.5 miles.
Lidl US has contributed $1,281,500 for the construction of this project, as required by the development approval for its store at 1451 Eastwood Road, according to Burden.
Burden said it will take two to three months to put a construction contract in place before a five-month construction period.
Kenan Fountain is flowing again
Kenan Fountain, which had been out of operation since 2023 when it was damaged by a North Carolina Department of Transportation contractor, is back up and running at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Market Street following repairs and restoration.
Restoration work on the fountain, which was gifted to the city in 1921, included repairing damaged limestone pieces, fiberglass and gel coating work on the fountain’s bowls, plumbing repairs and grout repairs.
The city said barricades may remain around the fountain while some finishing touches are completed, but the fountain is once again operational.
Bob Liepa is the city of Wilmington and public safety reporter for the StarNews. You can reach him at RLiepa@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Two Wilmington road projects receive millions in funding
