By Stephen Nelson
When he ran for his first full term as Bradley’s Mayor four years ago, among Mike Watson’s priorities was the renovation of the Broadway streetscape through downtown. At the Monday, October 28, Bradley Village Board Meeting, Watson told The Vedette that completion of that project is still three years away, putting it well into the second half of his next term, should he be re-elected to the position in April 2025.
At this point, it appears very likely Watson will get another four years, since no other candidate from a major party met the deadline for submitting signatures to get on the ballot. That deadline was the same day as the village board meeting.
Details of the makeover have been released in the form of concept drawings, and Watson said, “engineering work for the project has almost been completed.” He said the project goes way beyond just repaving and removal of jutting curbsides at intersections. He noted it includes improving drainage and work on the underground pipes of the village’s sewer system, as well as excavation of the street surface. He estimates bids on the initial street work will go out in 2025, but actual turning of shovels might not happen until 2026. Watson added that cost estimates per block for the project, which will extend from U.S. Rt. 45/52 to the west to Washington Avenue on the east, are running about $1 million. Watson said work will be done in “three-to-four block chunks” at a time.