A mill and asphalt overlay project for Highland Road from the Highway 26 intersection to the east will happen later this year, but not without some help from county road crews.
Scotts Bluff County Roads Superintendent Steve Baird told Commissioners Tuesday that only one bid for the project was received from Simon Contractors, but at just over $1 million, it was well over the engineer’s estimate and budgeted amounts, which were $826,000 and $850,000, respectively.
However, Baird did recommend approval of an amended bid that came about only after some negotiations. “Baker Associates and myself, we talked with Steve Spence at Simons, did some negotiating on their bid. And we’re going to have to be a little more involved with the project, said Baird. “We’re going to be in charge of traffic control and flagging, and a little more involved with that to bring the number down. So, it brought the bid down to $856,000.”
During discussions with commissioners, Baird noted the other option to bring down the price was to shorten the length of the improvements by a little less than half a mile, but that change was not the better option. The project will cover approximately 2.27 miles, going from Highway 26 to just east of the Airport Road intersection.
The Board approved the amended contract bid on a vote of 4-0, and the three-week project is now slated to begin in early April.
