Avon Town Council on Oct. 23 approved a contract with CHA to begin preliminary design and permitting work for a pedestrian bridge over White Lick Creek.

Council members approved the measure by roll call. The phase of work authorized is intended to start design and environmental permitting; staff said full construction remains several years and funding cycles away.

Town staff described the project as a phased effort. Ryan (staff member) told the council the town had discussed applying for federal funding at a previous work session and recommended beginning the design now so the town can prepare a grant application that must be submitted within about a month. “If we don't get started we never get down that path,” Ryan said, explaining the need to start permitting and hydraulic analysis early.

Ryan said CHA previously designed a nearby pedestrian bridge that connects to Washington Township Park and that the firm will reuse that design where appropriate. He said the design will include stream-bank protection up front to avoid later surprises. Ryan described the scope as large and the permitting process as lengthy, saying Army Corps and state (IDEM) permits and hydraulic analysis will be required and that permitting alone could take “3 to 5 years.”

On costs, Ryan told the council the town budgeted $175,000 for the project this year and about $175,000 in the budget recently approved for next year. He said the contract presented that night would cover roughly $374,000 of design work phased over multiple years and that design and permitting are likely to be billed incrementally as work is completed. Ryan estimated that a bridge in this setting could cost on the order of $1 million for design and $1.5 million for construction, but he emphasized those figures are approximate and will be adjusted in grant applications and future budget proposals.

Ryan said staff proposes using food-and-beverage revenue to pay for the design work and that CHA would also assist with preparing the MPO grant application.

Council members asked about the multi-year budgeting approach and whether the town was accounting for future cost increases; Ryan said the MPO typically supplies escalation percentages (for example, around 3.5% per year) that the town must use in federal funding applications and that those adjustments will be built into estimates when the town applies for grants.

The council voted to approve the agreement with CHA to complete preliminary design for the White Lick Creek pedestrian bridge. The motion passed on roll call with all voting members present voting yes.

Staff said the approval is intended to authorize the town to begin design and grant-preparation work; construction and final costs will depend on permitting, grant awards and future council budget decisions.