Capitol Drive Construction Set for Finishing Touches

The village will be set come spring to put the finishing touches on the East Capitol Drive construction project, including adding trees, flowerbeds and other landscaping features.

The Village Board awarded a contract to Graef, an environmental services company, for hourly work not to exceed $14,7000, to oversee the project.

A separate contract is expected to be awarded soon to another company to complete the landscaping work.

While the Capitol Drive construction was a state project, the landscaping project will be a village-funded, paid for through the capital improvements fund.

Graef will oversee landscaping East Capitol Drive from the Estabrook Parkway to the lakefront.

"This is work we might be able to do ourselves," Trustee Jeff Hanewall said. "However, Graef is likely more efficient and better than us doing it ourselves, and our own staff is going to be pressed with other work, especially with potential sewer work and road work coming up this summer,"

Graef will attend a preconstruction conference with the contractor that will be doing the actual work.

Graef's role will include verification that landscape-related work is installed per specifications, response to any contractor requests for plan clarifications, review of payment applications and periodic site visits.

The project will be completed in two phases, starting with Capitol Drive east of North Oakland Avenue.

The Capitol Drive construction project repaved streets stretching from the Milwaukee River to the lakefront, replaced the Oak Leaf Trail Bridge, modernized street signals, addressed drainage issues and added some decorative features.