Council Awards $304,057 Safe Routes to School Sidewalk Contract, Reviews Summer Infrastructure

Litchfield City Council Meeting | May 7, 2026

New sidewalks will safely connect students to the library. The City Council awarded a $304,057 contract to Kinney Contractors for ADA-compliant sidewalks along State Street and Tyler Avenue, while city engineers outlined progress on multiple multimillion-dollar infrastructure grants.

Infrastructure and Sidewalks Key Points:

• Kinney Contractors, Inc. was awarded a $304,057 contract for the Safe Routes to School sidewalk project.

• The project will construct new sidewalks with ADA ramps from the Litchfield Public Library to the Litchfield Early Childhood Center.

• A lower bid of $282,585.75 from KRB Excavating was rejected by the state because the contractor overextended their bonding ability.

• City engineers provided updates on the $1.93 million Skyview Drive project and a $1.5 million DCEO public infrastructure grant.

Students walking from the Litchfield Early Childhood Center to the Litchfield Public Library will soon have a much safer journey after the City Council on Thursday, May 7, 2026, awarded a $304,057 sidewalk construction contract.

The project, funded largely by a $250,000 Safe Routes to School grant from IDOT with $54,057 in city funding, will construct continuous Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) sidewalks with ADA ramps along State Street and Tyler Avenue.

“They actually walked to the library and they had to go across and across and across to get there safely on sidewalks,” noted one city official regarding the students’ current route. “So, this will be a pre-improvement for them, too.”

The bid was awarded to the second-lowest bidder, Kinney Contractors, Inc., of Raymond, Illinois. According to the engineering update provided by Milano & Grunloh Engineers, the lowest bidder, KRB Excavating, submitted a bid of $282,585.75. However, the state would not award them the contract because the company had maxed out its bonding capacity for the season.

The sidewalk award was part of a broader infrastructure update that highlighted a busy summer of construction for Litchfield. Engineers reported that Phase 2 of the Skyview Drive project is currently underway, supported by Economic Development Program (EDP) and Truck Access Route Program (TARP) grants totaling a revised budget of over $1.9 million.

Other major projects include a $1.5 million Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) grant currently funding water system upgrades. Haier Plumbing and Heating is actively testing and flushing new lines, though officials warned residents that dirt piles over the trenches will remain until at least the fall to allow for natural ground settling.

The council unanimously approved the sidewalk contract on a motion by Alderperson Dwayne Gerl.