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BY MATTHEW OLSON
molson@kenoshanews.com

The 75th Street reconstruction ended with $800,000 in savings and several environmentally-friendly initiatives.

The city presented a final report on the reconstruction of 75th Street, from 38th Avenue to Seventh Avenue, to the Public Works Committee on Monday night. The work began in late May and was fully completed during the week of Thanksgiving. Traffic was limited to one-way, eastbound travel for most of year from 38th Avenue to Sheridan Road and the street was closed from Sheridan Road to Seventh Avenue.

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The project was originally expected to require two years for completion, but the city sought bids to complete the project in one year to take advantage of favorable prices for labor and materials this year.

Ron Bursek, director of public works, told the committee it cost about $800,000 less than the originally proposed cost of $6.5 million for a two-year schedule.

About $400,000 of those savings has already been shifted to other streets and parks projects. Bursek said further funds could be moved to street paving.

The 75th Street effort also represented several environmental initiatives the city has been trying to include in recent projects, such as:

n Replacing traditional street lighting along 75th Street with light-emitting diode bulbs.

Bursek said the bulbs last for 20 years, about 10 times longer than traditional bulbs, and save about 50 percent in energy costs. The city also installed LED lights on 39th Avenue, from 60th to 67th streets, during that construction project last year and 38th Street near I-94 this year. “It will be the goal of the city to reduce energy costs through more efficient lighting projects,” Bursek said.

n Planting trees to replace those uprooted during the construction due to disease or obstructing planned construction. Bursek said the trees that were newly planted on 75th Street feature a larger range of species to minimize effects of any diseases in the future.

“We have had an aggressive effort to replace trees that need to be replaced for construction purposes with a greater variety than before, for sustainability and environmental reasons,” Bursek said. “We have replaced those trees with a wide variety of trees that will flourish in this particular environment.”

Bursek said nearly all of the 90 trees marked for elimination before construction have been replaced. Some were not replaced due to proximity to other trees or being too close to intersections.

n Recycling concrete and blacktop torn up during the project, and using that material to construct the base of the new road, reducing hauling, disposal and new material costs.

“We try to do that whenever possible,” Bursek said.

Alderman G. John Ruffolo, chairman of the Public Works Committee, said he would like the city to continue these efforts in future reconstruction projects.