By Hub City Times staff

MARSHFIELD – The Central Avenue road project, calling for improvements between Arnold and Harrison streets, is now approved for completion this summer.

The stretch of road is part of State Highway 97 and falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation (DOT). The project, which was set to begin following Wood County’s Farm Technology Days, was bumped from its July 2018 start date due to legislation regarding the bidding process for the state-owned highway.

“The legislature, a couple of years ago, put forward a thing that if there is only one bid then they won’t do it, because they think something is wrong,” explained Marshfield Mayor Bob McManus. “So, that is why last year, when they only had one bid, it became an issue.”

Meanwhile, the city in preparation had already placed their barrels out to begin their preliminary improvements and work on gas lines.

Since the project was bumped from the DOT’s schedule, the mayor and Marshfield Public Works Director Dan Knoeck have been working closely with DOT representatives to make sure the project stayed in place for 2019.

“The problem that we had with it is they let it out for bidding the first week of May and our thought process was by that time most contractors have their work booked,” added the mayor. “So, this year when they did it in December, we really thought that there would be more than one bid, but it came back with just the one bid by the same company, probably 10 percent higher.”

Being that this was the second time the repairs had been through the process, the bid – submitted by S & N, Inc. of Merrill – AKA Merrill Sand & Gravel – was approved.

“Now that (the DOT) has approval, they will start to work closer with Dan (Knoeck), finishing up those engineering issues and putting it into their timeline for when they are actually going to do it. Dan will take care of all of that,” added McManus.

“I was very happy that I got that call (Jan. 11) that we are finally going to get that stretch of Central Avenue repaired…that our great citizens of Marshfield have had to deal with for so long.

“Of course it is going to take six to eight weeks to get it done, so people are going to have to be patient with that, but I think that the outcome when it is all done that it should be in great shape.”

Marshfield City Engineer Tom Turchi said that work is scheduled to begin April 15 and that residents can expect to see orange barrels the first week of April.