Bridge bids higher than expected

The Spokane Valley City Council learned this week it will have to bridge more than the Spokane River at Barker Road.

The lowest of three bids to replace the Barker Road Bridge came in $1.05 million higher than city officials had estimated. However, allowing for various nonconstruction costs, the project shortfall was nearly $1.27 million.

Council members voted to go ahead and award a contract to Morgen & Oswood Construction Co. of Great Falls, Mont.

Morgen & Oswood’s winning bid of $9,093,961 for the city portion of the project compares with $9,974,561 by Harcon Inc. of Spokane, and $11,604,984 by the Spokane Valley office of Calgary-based Graham Construction & Management Inc.

Those amounts include art work that may be eliminated, but do not include work that is to be reimbursed by utility companies.

All of the bidders asked substantially less than the city had estimated for the utility company work. Morgen & Oswood asked $355,393 for utility work that was expected to cost $664,273.

Rejecting the bids and starting over would have delayed the project and, based on recent experience, might have made the problem worse.

In February, the low bid to repair and upgrade the city’s three swimming pools was nearly $593,000 more than the city’s estimate at the time. The council called for new bids and wound up paying $202,949 more than if it had accepted the original low bid.

Mayor Rich Munson blamed rapidly rising prices for construction materials in the bridge miscalculation.

The Barker Bridge overage is to come from reserves for future projects. After using a $500,000 project contingency fund, the shortfall would be reduced to $766,153. Steve Worley, senior engineer for capital projects, said there still would be a 5 percent, $485,000 contingency fund for construction costs.

The calculations assume the council accepts a staff recommendation to eliminate $145,000 worth of art work on the bridge’s concrete surfaces. The art – reliefs of recreational activities – came in at nearly three times the city’s estimated $50,020 cost and nearly twice the $74,000 the council budgeted.

Council members plan to discuss the art at their July 1 meeting. If the council decides to eliminate any of the art, it could do so with a cost-reducing change order to the contract.

Worley said the city has no legal obligation to provide any art on the bridge.

Nearly $10 million of the overall $11.25 million bridge replacement cost is to be paid by the federal government.