With the East U.S. Route 36 Roadway Reconstruction Project scheduled to begin in Urbana next year, city administration will seek City Council’s approval during its 6 p.m. meeting today in municipal court chambers to acquire three standard highway easements required to move forward with the project at a combined cost of $84,988.

Formerly referred to as the East U.S. Route 36 Improvements Project, the project is designed to reconstruct and improve the section of East U.S. Route 36 between Berwick Drive and Lippincott Lane by installing curbs and gutters, sidewalks, street lights and storm sewer infrastructure.

To help acquire the necessary land surrounding the roadway, administration is seeking authorization from council to secure a standard highway easement from Champaign Residential Services Inc. in the amount of $30,178.

In two other instances in which the city has attempted to reach the owners of record to work out agreements for easement acquisition, the city’s offers have yet to be accepted, forcing the city to take legal action through two separate resolutions declaring necessity and intent to appropriate an interest in real property for the East U.S. Route 36 Roadway Reconstruction Project.

The resolutions, both of which seek suspension of the three-readings rule and passage on first readings by council, read as follows:

•A resolution to appropriate a standard highway easement from a portion of real estate owned by Aaron Rents Inc., 1491 E. U.S. Route 36, for the appraised value of $31,334.

•A resolution to appropriate a standard highway easement, stormwater easement, and temporary easement from a portion of real estate owned by Spartan Brothers Capital LLC, 1637 E. U.S. Route 36, for the appraised value of $23,476.