Construction crews still targeting Aug. 8 for 1st Street access by Aurora schools

The full-court press is on for construction crews working on the 1st Street renovation project as continued rains are making it a challenge to complete the south end of the project in order to allow access when school bells ring in mid-August.
JEO Consulting hosted a meeting on site Monday with subcontractors for its regular bi-weekly update after meeting with school officials last week to report the latest progress. The “substantial completion date” has been set for Aug. 8, with a goal of allowing access to 1st Street from the railroad tracks to north of Mark Street by the time school starts. “Substantial completion” has been defined as the roadway and essential intersections being open.
Scott Griepenstroh with JEO noted in a summary report of Monday’s meeting that nearly 1-1/2 inches of rain fell last week which caused a temporary delay, though crews were making steady progress by Monday with high hopes of staying on schedule.
As of Monday, he said Mid-Nebraska Land Developers is expecting to complete rough grading for the roadway from the railroad tracks to approximately Parklane by Thursday, with Gehring Paving tentatively scheduled to begin paving the east lane from the south end of the project to north of Mark Street on July 22 or 23. The plan is for Gehring crews to then pour the west lane, also from south to north, beginning July 29 or 30, which would allow time for the road to cure as required before traffic is allowed. 
Griepenstroh noted that 1st Street will be significantly lower than it was before, which is becoming visible now as subgrade work reflects where the roadway will be. He advised that cones or other safety devices will be installed along the street side of temporary access roads following excavation for the roadway due to the drop-off.
The Aurora School Board briefly discussed the project at its meeting Monday night, with Supt. Jody Phillips reporting that the administrative team is working on contingency plans in case street access is not available when classes resume. The first day of school for grades K-5, 6 and 9 is Aug. 14. All grade levels will be back in school on Aug. 15.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed,” he told the board.
The Aurora City Council approved a no-cost change order last week for the 1st Street project while also getting an update on construction status.
The original substantial completion date for the project was July 1, though JEO Consulting’s Andrew Wilhusen reported that has now been moved back to Nov. 15, which is when all driveways are to be poured along the street. Final completion is now set for April 30, 2026, allowing crews time to finish up final grading, seeding and other wrap-up details in the spring.
The primary reason for the change, he explained, is that work on the Streeter 5th and Streeter 6th was added to the contractor’s schedule, which made sense from both a cost and scheduling standpoint.
As for the timely question of the project’s status around school property, Wilhusen said the plan now is to have 1st Street open to traffic from the railroad tracks to H Street by Aug. 8. With the storm sewer now installed in that section of the roadway, he reported at the July 8 council meeting that the plan was to begin dirt work last week, with paving scheduled to begin this week, weather permitting.