Howell Paving was the lone bidder for the long-awaited resurfacing of 9th Street in Mt. Carmel. The Mattoon company’s bid came in at $3,847,998 for 1.6 miles of resurfacing, ADA improvements, and traffic signal upgrades on 9th Street from two-tenths of a mile east of Empire Street to Cherry Street in Mt. Carmel. The Illinois Department of Transportation reported on its’ website that Howell’s $3.8 million bid was within a reasonable approximation of the estimate. State Senator Terri Bryant has been in contact with I-DOT’s Effingham office and on yesterday’s WSJD Morning Show, she said work could still start at some point this year….

The contract calls for the work to be completed in 110 working days.