Highland seeks bids for shared-use path maintenance project

By Brittany Blackwell
Reporter • The Highland City Council has authorized staff to seek bids for a project aimed at extending the life of the city’s shared-use paths.

The item was approved at the July 20 meeting, allowing the city to advertise for bids before final council approval. 

Director of Public Works Joe Gillespie submitted the recommendation, as he feels it is important to maintain these paths as they are seeing normal wear. 

“What we’re doing is revitalizing the path by putting a sealer on top of it,” he told the Times Tribune. 

The proposed maintenance project would include crack sealing, applying a protective asphalt sealcoat and repainting pavement striping on paths installed during major roadway reconstruction projects in 2011 and 2012. The sealer is intended to preserve the asphalt surface and help extend the lifespan of the paths.

The work will cover shared-use paths along Troxler Avenue from Illinois Route 160 to U.S. Highway 40, along Illinois Route 160 from Troxler Avenue to the west entrance of St. Joseph’s Hospital, and along Iberg Road from Broadway to Coventry.

Similar work was previously done on Frank Watson Parkway in Highland. 

He estimates the work will extend the life of the paths for about eight to 10 years. Paths will be closed while work takes place for roughly two to four weeks. 

“Asphalt typically has a life of 15 to 18 years and that’s a street,” he said. “So this doesn’t get the wear that a street does, because we don’t have vehicles on it.”

With the exception of anything with a motor, any mode of transportation is allowed on these paths. 

The project is estimated to cost approximately $21,000. Highland was awarded a $10,510 grant through the ACT Community Action Grants Program in May after applying earlier this year, covering roughly half of the project’s cost.

Although the work was not included in the city’s fiscal year 2027 street and alley budget because the grant had not yet been awarded, officials state that sufficient funds are available within the existing street and alley account to cover the city’s share of the project.