On Wednesday, Apex Town Council awarded the long-awaited Salem Streetscape Project a contract.
According to Apex Mayor Jaques Gilbert, the council voted 5-0 to award the construction project to Browe Construction company. In total, the project will cost more than $4.7 million, more than $2 million than the original estimate for the project.
The makeover will transform North Salem Street with new walkways, lighting, trees and a pedestrian-friendly design.
The project was already approved for $3 million. Gilbert said the $1.75 funding gap will need to come withing the town’s Capital Improvement Program, which means either moving the funds from another project or increasing overall debt capacity.
Gilbert added that inflation drove up costs due to previous delays and town leaders were worried additional delays would make the project even more expensive.
“We have committed to this project, and it’s about do we move forward, or do we back up and look at a redesign? We all agreed that’s not the way we want to go,” Gilbert said. “We have some momentum and have downtown business owners who are really depending on us to move forward in a certain period of time.”
Construction is expected to begin in January and finish in October.