Partial work performed on East Wabash Avenue by DC Construction Services resulted in a premature contract termination Wednesday between the city and the company during a Board of Public Works & Safety meeting.
The resurfacing of Wabash Avenue east of Mill Street, which began in June, stalled for weeks in July when DC Construction crews abandoned the project, forcing the city to seek other options.
The city then employed the services of Crawfordsville-based Price Excavating, which finished the project by its estimated completion date of mid-August.
The board also approved the payment of $302,000 to DC, just under half of the original $622,000 contract.
The delay further complicated a dispute between the city, CSX Transportation and the Indiana Department of Transportation.
The transportation agencies were to go ahead with a maintenance closure of the railroad crossing on East Market Street despite requests from the city to delay such a closure until the resurfacing project on Wabash Avenue was complete.
The city argued that starting the project with East Wabash still closed “created significant concern about the impact to traffic flow and safety,” Mayor Todd Barton said in July.
The suit was later delayed following the reopening of discussions between the three entities.
