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ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS
Obernuefemann Road Reconstruction
Parts of Obernuefemann Road are closed for reconstruction. The work area runs from just north of the CSX Railroad tracks to a little north  of Ogle Road. It is a phased project so closures are moving as construction progresses. Please be careful in this area as workers and equipment will be located along the stretch of road.
When completed, the curve at the northeast corner of the Family Sports Park will have a greater radius, and the road’s junction with Ogle Road will be a T-intersection with a left turn lane from Obernuefemann onto Ogle. A left turn lane will also be provided at the east entrance to the Family Sports Park for traffic headed north on Obernuefemann. Additionally, on- street parking will be made available for residents between Madison and Nixon Streets. The construction work is being performed by Hanks Excavating of Belleville and was designed by Rhutasel and Associates of Freeburg.
 North Lincoln Avenue Reconstruction - Phase 3This project, designed by Burns & McDonnell of O’Fallon, is complete. We appreciate everyone’s patience while the work was ongoing. A special thanks to those whose homes were along the construction path. These residents were very accommodating to the construction crews of Veile Construction, Belleville.
Obernuefemann and
State Street Roundabout
The roundabout is complete! IDOT has inspected and accepted the work, allowing final payment to the contractor, Killian Construction of Mascoutah. The City will add lighting and replace the wooden sign posts with poles to match those used for the lighting supports. In addition, the area around the roundabout will receive some additional landscaping. By the time this Quarterly reaches you, the older house on the northwestern corner of the old intersection should be removed. Horner & Shifrin of O’Fallon was the design consultant for the project.
Water System Improvements
The new booster pump station on the west side of Fairview Heights on St. Clair Avenue should be on-line by the end of October. Ehret Plumbing of Belleville is the contractor and the project was designed by Burns & McDonnell of O’Fallon. The two water towers, along Pausch Road and Kyle Road, also designed by Burns & McDonnell, are in the early stages of construction. The towers are being constructed by CBI under the supervision of Gonzales Companies of Swansea. The towers are scheduled to be completed in October 2009.
2008 Concrete Repair Program
This program will continue through the fall. Please be alert for road, sidewalk, and drainage repairs in all parts of the City.
Oak Street Repairs
The repairs to sanitary sewer, water, storm water and streets from Second to Fifth are complete. The question has been asked why that segment of roadway received such extensive repairs. The answer is that the age and condition of the sanitary sewer and water utilities there necessitated the improvements. During an inspection of the sewer line to determine if it was the culprit in the appearance of a sink hole in the middle of the road near Fifth Street, our crew found that the bottom of the sewer line from Fifth to Second was missing in places, due to age as well as chemical and biological attacks of the sewage that flowed through it. The sewer line was nearly 18 feet deep at Fifth Street, which meant most of the road between Fifth and Fourth needed to be removed to allow for sewer
line replacement. Add to that the fact that the City was already designing the replacement of the nearly ancient 4” iron water line running along the east side of the road, it was decided with all that digging most of the roadway was going to have to be replaced. So, we did the whole roadway while there. The result is a new road with new City utilities and tree lawns. LW Contractors of Collinsville and Christ Brothers of Lebanon, assisted by O’Fallon Public Works Streets, Water, and Wastewater crews, completed the construction.
Thanks go to First Student, District 90’s school bus service, and all the parents of students who were affected by the construction. Their patience and understanding enabled the workers to complete the work safely. Residents and businesses were also very accommodating.
Wastewater Treatment Plant
The good news continues to be that our wastewater treatment plant operates relatively efficiently and meets all environmental requirements. The only exception is the amount of zinc discharge, which is a by-product of the drinking water disposed of down the drain in O’Fallon and Shiloh. The bad news is that one of the main components of our wastewater treatment plant, a clarifier, needs repairs. About two years ago, the clarifier (a huge tank in the ground) was emptied for maintenance. At that time, it was revealed that the surface of the floor of the tank was failing, and a rotating arm that scrapes settled material from the bottom of the tank was rubbing on the floor at several locations. As the repair was very expensive and needed to be well planned before execution,
the clarifier was put back in service. As suspected, with time and use, the problem is getting worse. We expect that this is the first of several expensive repairs that the City will need to make over the next five to ten years at the plant.
Simmons/Porter Intersection Roundabout
On the heals of the completion of the State and Obernuefemann Roundabout construction, has come the announcement by the Gateway Council of Governments that  O’Fallon’s submission for a federal grant to build a second roundabout at Simmons and Porter has been approved. Additionally, they announced that a submission for a roundabout at State, Old Vincennes, and
Seven Hills just missed this year’s round of funding for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funding. The CMAQ grant program is a competitive one in which communities and county governments from Madison, Randolph, and St Clair Counties compete for funding. O’Fallon has always fared above average in these grant competitions due to our projects being supported by good transportation engineering principles that support air quality improvements. So, in IDOT’s 2010-2011 CMAQ program, O’Fallon should receive a federal grant of $320,000 for the construction of the Simmons and Porter roundabout. The City’s share will be approximately $170,000 and will be paid out of Motor Fuel Tax funds.
Milburn School Road Improvements
Based on recent rankings of the Surface Transportation Program (STP) projects collected by the Gateway Council of Governments from communities in Madison, Randolph, and St Clair Counties, O’Fallon should receive a 2013 grant for the improvement of Milburn School Road from Pausch Road to Merriam Road in the amount of $474,750. The City’s matching share at this point is $357,106 based on current engineering and construction cost estimates and will be paid out of Motor Fuel Tax funds. The improvements include the widening the the two driving lanes from 11 feet to 13 feet, adding curb and gutter, and turn lanes at Red Hawk Ridge and Pausch Road. The City was previously awarded a 2011 STP grant for the improvement of Milburn School Road from Simmons Road to Pausch Road.
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