Commercial, Main streets project in Marseilles continues

The Marseilles city engineer said Wednesday there’s a possibility the temporary stop lights at Commercial and Main streets will have to return to the intersection next year, as contractors finish work there.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Etscheid updated the Marseilles City Council on the Commercial and Main streets project, which is a project coordinated by the state of Illinois. The project will install Commercial Street north to within about 6 feet of Ziggy’s, creating an S curve on the east side near Broadway Street.

The contractor is performing water main work and Etscheid said once that’s finished, the contractor can do the rest of the paving.

“They still have time to do everything with their completion date several weeks away,” Etscheid said of the project the state said initially would be completed in October. “We don’t have control over the contract, so the state is the one that calls the numbers.”

Etscheid said there’s a possibility the state gives an extension on the project and the work can’t be performed during the winter, meaning the temporary stop lights may make their return.

Additionally, Etscheid said all the water and sewer pipelines are in place for the Interstate 80 sewer project.

Etscheid told commissioners the booster stations and sewage lift stations have arrived, as well, but the city is awaiting installation, while Ameren and Ficek Electric coordinate times to conduct the electrical work.

“One booster station along Rutland Street will be rather easy because the power lines are right there but there’s one back in the subdivision with a conduit they have to push the wires through and put in a transformer,” Etscheid said. “That’s what’s going to take some time.”

The city of Marseilles broke ground on the I-80 sewer project in September 2021 after years and years of planning. The project is slated to cost a total $4.2 million.

Etscheid said the city still is hoping this will be settled by the end of the year.