Sterling’s $6.2 million reconstruction of Second Street is facing unexpected delays after utility company ComEd informed city officials that it cannot move power poles this year.

The news was announced during the Sterling City Council meeting Sept. 15, raising questions about whether the project can remain on track for its previously planned June 2026 completion date, and how the city will maintain road access through the winter.

“We received some bad news on Second Street today. ComEd is saying that they won’t be able to get the [utility] poles out this year,” City Manager Scott Shumard said Monday. “I don’t know what the status of Second Street is going to be for us this year.”

The Second Street project, spanning 10 blocks from First Avenue to Route 2, is managed by Gensini Excavating of Princeton. It had already switched to a three-phase plan after early delays in getting construction plans approved in Springfield.

“We couldn’t start digging out anything until those plans were approved, so we decided to start removing further sections of road so we could keep progressing,” project manager Mike Garland said last month.

Phase one, from Broadway Avenue to Fourth Avenue, has been largely completed, with curbs, gutters, storm sewer work, and most sidewalk and driveway construction finished.

Phase two will cover Fourth Avenue to Route 40, and the final phase will include a 160-foot pedestrian bridge over Route 40 behind the Plainwell Brass building, connecting to a multi-use bikeway along East Second Street from First Avenue to Broadway Avenue. The bike path is part of a larger plan to close gaps in Sterling’s trail system, linking routes that run along the Rock River, Sinnissippi Park and the riverfront.

Public Works Department Superintendent Brad Schrader said that although most curbs, gutters, and storm lines are in, the placement of utility poles along the right-of-way has to be carefully coordinated.

“All the poles will be behind the curb … the plan is to put all the poles out because most of the multi-use path will be right up against the right-of-way lines of the property owners. So we can’t put it behind it, otherwise it’ll be on private property,” Schrader said. “Now ComEd is saying, ‘I need you to hold out by that path because these poles have to go in there, and we’re not going to guarantee that they’re going to want a straight line or that they’re going to fit right where you want them. We may have to move those around a little bit more.’”

Shumard said the city is evaluating its options and potential risks with project engineers.

“If the project gets delayed until next year, does the prices still hold from this current contract into next year? Because generally, things go up every year,” Shumard said. “We just got that email at 3:30 this afternoon. So, this is brand-new information to us, and we’re trying to work through that.”

The news is particularly disruptive because crews had hoped to pave the full length of Second Street before winter. Garland previously said his “intention is to have the road usable before Thanksgiving,” even if some sidewalks are unfinished.

Funding for the Second Street reconstruction comes from a mix of local motor fuel tax revenue, federal Surface Transportation Program funds and local sales taxes. Officials have emphasized that the project will improve safety and mobility for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians while also expanding the city’s trail network.