At its Aug. 18 meeting, the Northwell Village Board voted to award a $997,218.91 contract to Marchand Construction for intersection improvements at Route 31 and Airport Road, a project staff said will cost the village far more than originally budgeted.

The project will widen the intersection to improve traffic flow; Engineering Enterprises, Inc. (EEI) performed the design and construction engineering, and additional right of way has been acquired. Staff told the board the job came in over budget because of the complexity of the work, the small quantity of certain pay items, general contractor coordination and extra requirements from IDOT.

Staff reported the project was budgeted in the TIF fund at $715,000 with $500,000 coming from a state grant identified in the meeting as a DCO grant; after the state reimbursement the village's construction cost was described in the meeting as $4,497,218.91. Staff recommended awarding to the lowest responsive bidder, Marchand Construction, and said rebidding was unlikely to reduce cost. The board approved the award by roll call.

Board members and staff discussed timing and coordination with concurrent state paving and utility work. Staff said they had asked IDOT to coordinate, that some state work has been held to allow alignment with the village project, and that much of the construction likely will not begin until next spring.

The vote approved the construction contract; staff said there are adequate funds in the TIF fund to proceed.

Why this matters: the intersection work is a major capital project for traffic flow and safety in a village corridor. The meeting record shows the village accepted a low bid while acknowledging a much larger net cost after state reimbursements and other project expenses.

What the board did: approved the Marchand Construction contract and directed staff to coordinate timing with IDOT and utility work.

What remains: construction scheduling and final cost reconciliation after state reimbursement and close-out, and continued coordination with IDOT on sequencing.