Tumwater will restart the bidding process for the reconfiguration project along Capitol Boulevard, Interstate-5, and Trosper Road after the city council rejected all five bids submitted for the project during their meeting yesterday, September 7.
The lowest bidder for the project was Reed Trucking & Excavating Inc at $12,325,390.32, 13% more than the expected cost which the city’s engineering department estimated would be $10,904,471.36.
The project involves the construction of three roundabouts at the Trosper Road/Interstate-5 Ramp terminals, Trosper Road/Capitol Boulevard intersection, and 6th Avenue/Interstate-5 northbound on and off ramps.
The project also includes the construction of the Trosper Road Extension connecting Capitol Boulevard to Linda Street and a new 6th Avenue roadway linking Lee Street to the Interstate-5 ramp terminal and Trosper Road. All existing utilities within the project boundaries will be upgraded. Street lighting, landscaping, and irrigation will also be provided.
Bids over budget
The city staff will conduct an assessment to reduce construction costs to between $11 and $12 million and will re-advertise the project afterward.
The bidding for the project opened on August 25 and had four other bids ranging from 22% to 29% above the expected cost of the project. The four bidders were Pivetta Brother's Construction Inc at $13.22 million, Ceccanti Inc at $13.69 million, Active Construction Inc at $13.94 million, and Miles Resources LLC at $14.12 million.
Tumwater’s transportation and engineering director Brandon Hicks noted that having only five bidders was a low number for the scale of the project.
“We attribute most of those costs to rising construction material costs [and] rising labor wages,” Hicks said during the city council meeting. “There are supply chain pressures [and] shortages. There are contractor capacity issues, and that's why I'm assuming that we only got five bids.”
Meanwhile, Hicks announced that they expect additional funding from the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB), the largest financier of the project.
“We've been in contact with [TIB] seeking additional funds. They have stated that we should request a certain dollar number, so we're feeling pretty good that we have a chance of getting some additional funds,” Hicks said.
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SandiToeze
I don't see any mention of federal $$ involved. In other areas, I've seen federal contributions added when interstate hwy ramps are included in a project. That ought to cut some money off Tumwater's costs.
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 Report this
Citizen
Traffic circles for a high density of vehicles enter and leaving I-5... REALLY? All I see is a constant nightmare of traffic jams and accidents. What is the plan for emergency vehicles? How will emergency vehicles 1. make it through the circles quickly to save lives and 2. how will they be able to access accidents in the circle and 3. where will the vehicles leaving or entering I-5 sit awaiting access to circles in the travel lanes of I-5 or on the surface streets?
Currently, the I-5 off ramp during rush hour has vehicles waiting for access to Martin on the shoulder of I-5 creating smog and a hazard. Nothing like poor traffic planning.
Did someone with a vested interest in recieving the City contracts influence the traffic circle design? Just wondering?
Friday, September 9, 2022 Report this
FirstOtter
This is just another indication that Tumwater has this insane addiction to traffic circles. That, and a relentless pursuit of ever more lucrative tax infusions. Did you know that Tumwater has the highest fee for business licenses? Even higher than Seattle!
Now some yob wants to put in THREE traffic circles. WHY ALWAYS TRAFFIC circles? Is someone on the city council on the take? Even one would be absolute chaos. Has anyone in the planning/city council or whomever wants this actually watched a big truck trying to negotiate a traffic circle? Has any of them explained WHY this is necessary? Yes, the intersection of Trosper and Capitol is sometimes a backed up nightmare. But that's because Tumwater allowed a huge expansion in big stores like: Walmart, Costco, Fred Meyers, the Walgreens complex and the expansion of what is now Safeway. Didn't any of these planners think, um, where is all the traffic going to go?
No.
Has any of the planners actually been behind the wheel of, say, a fire engine, trying to negotiate a traffic circle? There's no place for someone to pull off on the side.
Or how about driving one of the big trucks? If you watch them on Littlerock road, they have to actually move up onto the center part in order to actually make the curve.
In addition, whomever is in charge of creating the traffic circles make the big mistake of building up the middle and planting plants. No body takes care of the plants and all the planting does is make your use of the traffic circle into a BLIND curve. You can't see if someone is coming your way! DUH
A lot of businesses will be put out of business. A lot of businesses will find that what used to be their parking lot is now-a traffic lane.
Let's also ask, if you think traffic is bad now, just wait. Can you imagine the snafu when all this construction is going on? Coned down lanes, flaggers holding up traffic while big gravel trucks, earth movers, front end loaders are going back and forth. The noise, the traffic, the dirt-it's going to be worse than I can even imagine.
And, by the way, do they plan on putting in sidewalks?? (crickets)
This whole idea needs to be File 13'ed.
Saturday, September 10, 2022 Report this
TonyW33
This may actually the dumbest traffic control concept ever created. Then add a million SF of warehousing with truck traffic on Tumwater Blvd and another 2 million at 93rd and Tumwater will out-Lacey Lacey itself. Who even dreamed that was possible?
Saturday, September 10, 2022 Report this