Fresh Topsoil

They brought in bunches of new dirt yesterday, it will be graded and seeded with winter rye. There are a couple of sidewalk sections to be put in, but they did the last driveways on the south end of the project yesterday. They are still trying to decide if they put the trees in yet this fall or wait until spring, there are practical and contractual implications to consider.
Obviously there is tremendous pressure to open the road, but seems logical to keep it closed until they are finished. Safety is no accident, and it seems clearly safer for all involved to not have traffic and guys on skid loaders in the same space. Hope for no rain or snow.

The question of incentives/disincentives for completion by a certain date is not as clear as it seems like it should be. There are a number of provisions and conditional factors, things like "working days" as defined by the Iowa DOT. There was a delay to the project in the early days when they had to redesign the north pier on the fly. Then there were the rain delays in June (remember, 20 out of 30 days of rain). The negotiation is underway on how to count the days. It's not such a simple thing as a date on a calendar when it comes to construction contracts. Links to the rules and regs will be posted as they are discovered.