Last week’s action by the Great Bend City Council included approving over $1 million for resurfacing asphalt streets. The work has begun.

City Administrator Logan Burns said Venture Corporation submitted the only bid, for $1,017,213. This is an ongoing project paid for with a quarter-cent sales tax and the bid is for 2025 projects.

Assistant City Engineer Sreehitha Kadiyala provided details, saying the intent for this resurfacing project is to get a high-volume street – 24th Street from Harrison to Washington, as well as an effort to prioritize residential streets. The project will consist of 2-inch mill and asphalt overlay with pavement markings.

The base bid was for $941,539.50 but the council approved an additional $75,674.10 for the intersection at 24th and McKinley St.

Venture submitted a second add-on bid of $81,000 for patching and 1.5-inch asphalt overlay of the Public Works Building parking lot at 525 Morton St. This was not recommended to the council and was not voted on.

Other streets that will receive attention:

• Broadway Ave. from Patton Road to K-96.

• 19th St. from Washington to Morton.

• Morton from 21st to 19th St.

The subcontractor is RoadSafe Traffic, based in El Dorado.

The contract notes that time is of the essence and the work should be substantially complete within 90 days. However, they expect to be done by Aug. 22, before school starts.

City Councilman Gary Parr asked, “This is Phase One? Because there’s a lot more streets besides these in dire need of repair.”

Burns said this was indeed the first phase of projects for the 2025 year. In the next month, the council will look at a pavement management program.

“We probably have 20 more blocks, but this is what we could fit in the funding we have,” Kadiyala said.