So far, road projects are cheaper than expected in Greenfield

Bids on the first of four batches of Greenfield road projects slated for 2012 came in 8 percent under expected, said Richard Sokol, the city's director of neighborhood services.

City officials are hoping that the other road projects bundled in the other three batches for bidding will show the same trend in the coming weeks. The total cost for all four batches is $4 million. Most of the work is in residential neighborhoods.

But, in a separate package, 124th Street, which is more heavily traveled, also is slated to be rebuilt this year from Grange Avenue to Cold Spring Road. That will be an inconvenience not only for through traffic, but for motorists using the ramp to Interstate 43.

The 124th Street project is not part of the other bidding packages because it's being done in cooperation with New Berlin and Hales Corners and with the help of a federal grant covering 80 percent of the cost.