St. Louis Metro to hold opportunity workshop, plans project

Written by jrood

Business owners will soon be able to submit proposals for more than $50 million of capital project work to be completed by St Louis-area Metro over the next several years. The majority of the funding for these projects is being made available to Metro through the Federal Transit Administration from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

General Contractors and
sub-contractors, including Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, can learn about
upcoming construction projects being planned by Metro at a free workshop June
16. Metro is sponsoring the workshop to ensure potential contractors and
sub-contractors have information needed to participate in contracts.

Also, Metro and the St.
Clair County Transit District launched a $2.1-million project to halt erosion
and stabilize eroding soil along 4.5 miles of MetroLink tracks between Fairview
Heights and Swansea, Ill. At a ground-breaking at one of the work sites, Metro
Senior Vice President Chris Poehler called the work "a perfect example" of the
projects envisioned by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the
federal economic stimulus act that financed the project along with funds from
the Federal Transit Administration, the state of Illinois and the SCCTD.

"It does just what ARRA
is designed to do – put people to work and improve this country’s
infrastructure," Poehler said. "This project is creating a lot of jobs and
moving a lot of dirt."

As MetroLink trains
passed regularly on the tracks behind him, Poehler said the work would protect
a $300-million public asset – the MetroLink line through St. Clair County.

Taulby Roach of the SCCTD
credited the partnership between federal, state and local government with
financing the project, creating jobs, and protecting the vital MetroLink line
that provides a connection between the people of St. Clair County and the rest
of the St. Louis region.

Illinois State
Representatives Jay Hoffman of Collinsville and Tom Holbrook of Belleville, as
well as Robert Stephan, an aide to U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello of Belleville,
noted that the project provides valuable maintenance for MetroLink before the
need becomes severe and causes interruptions in service. They also cited the
cooperative venture between Metro, SCCTD, local, state and federal government
in providing the financing and executing the project.

The project involves
excavating, repairing, and stabilizing 15 sites adjacent to the MetroLink
tracks and near retaining walls along 4.5 miles of the light-rail system’s
tracks where stormwater, mostly from a drainage creek, has eroded soil. Eroded
areas will be excavated and armored with stabilization techniques such as
retaining walls, riprap rock, and grass seeding. No changes in service or
schedules will be required.

The contractor is the
Kilian Corp. of Mascoutah, Ill. The project is expected to be completed in December.


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