Willard Bridge Bids Look Good

From cjonline.com

The lowest of the four bids Shawnee County received from construction companies interested in contracting to replace the Willard Bridge was more than $4 million less than the county budgeted for that purpose, county officials learned Friday.

“We’re very encouraged by the bids,” said County Commission Chairman Kevin Cook.

Commissioners Cook and Shelly Buhler were among those on hand Friday for the opening of the bid documents at the commission chambers in the county courthouse, Cook said.

Commissioners learned the low bid of $16,028,555.93 was submitted by Atlantic, Iowa-based A.M. Cohron & Son Inc.

That was more than $4 million less than the $20,035,000 construction budget commissioners approved last month as part of an overall $24,704,672 budget for the bridge replacement project. The contractor that builds the new bridge will be responsible for removing the current one, county public works director Tom Vlach told commissioners last month.

A document Cook provided The Topeka Capital-Journal on Friday indicated the county also received bids of $20,078,395.66 from Johnston, Iowa-based United Contractors Inc.; $21,168,822.90 from Des Moines-based Jensen Construction Co.; and $22,126,691.39 from Kansas City, Mo.-based Clarkson Construction Co.

Cook said a county bid selection committee will review the bids — as well as the qualifications of the bidders — and provide commissioners a recommendation on which bid to accept.

“We’re very pleased to see that there are multiple bids and opportunities for us and we look forward to commencing the project,” he said.

The county plans to start work next month on the project. The current bridge would remain in operation for most of the time the new bridge is being built, then would close in the fall of 2017, Vlach told commissioners last month. He said he anticipated the new bridge would be completed by Dec. 22, 2017.

Some uncertainty remains regarding what sources will provide financing for the project, and in what amounts.

The Willard Bridge is located along the county’s western boundary on N.W. Carlson Road, about 2.7 miles north of Interstate 70. It was built in 1955 and widened in 1983. The bridge is the same type as the Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis that collapsed in 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145.

Public concern over the Willard Bridge’s condition increased in 2009 when the commission approved a list of priority transportation needs, which said that if one of the bridge’s eight steel pins failed, it would collapse without warning. The bridge continues to be inspected regularly to ensure it remains safe.