Whitefish council awards $874,314 viaduct improvement contract despite budget concerns; vote 3‑2

The Whitefish City Council voted 3‑2 on March 17 to award the viaduct improvement construction contract to RAS Construction of Bellingham, Washington, for $874,314.25, a figure the city’s public works director said is 24–25% above the engineer’s estimate and about $250,000 above the city’s FY25 street fund line item.

Public Works Director Craig (last name not specified in the transcript) summarized the project and procurement history: the viaduct improvements are identified in the downtown master plan and the Connect Whitefish Bike and Pedestrian Plan to better link the north and south sides of the viaduct. The city rebid the project after work with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and BNSF to secure permissions; two bids were opened on Feb. 20. The engineer’s estimate was $702,912; RAS submitted the low bid of $874,314.25 and Knife River submitted $1,050,381. Craig said the FY25 budget included $700,000 for the project, and that the street fund has a sizable reserve that staff believes can absorb the additional expenditure.

The contract covers four main elements: relocating Jersey barriers to widen the shared path; removing the southbound slip lane on the west side and restoring Railway to two‑way traffic (and adding angled parking on Railway); new decorative street lighting on the approaches (the city purchased additional lights outside the bid); and gateway landscaping (trees, beds, irrigation). Craig and councilors discussed bid line‑item variances — including a high mobilization line item in RAS’s bid and a large discrepancy in traffic‑control and irrigation costs between the two bidders — and the difficulty of estimating a multi‑component project with few comparables.

Council debate split around safety urgency and fiscal prudence. Supporters argued the primary safety gain is widening the shared path by moving Jersey barriers and that further delay risks injury; opponents said the award exceeded the budgeted amount and urged rebidding or breaking the work into components to seek more local participation. Councilor Frank moved to award the contract; the motion was seconded by Councilor Fury and carried on a 3‑2 vote. Councilors Caltabiano and Quinell recorded their votes in opposition.

Public Works staff said local subcontractors will likely perform a substantial share of the work (electricians, trucking, aggregate) even though the general contractor is out‑of‑state, and that certain costs (for example replacement of crash attenuators and curb work) are triggered when the Jersey barriers are moved.

Funding and next steps: staff recommended awarding to the lowest qualified bidder per procurement statute and said the street fund reserve can absorb the projected $250,000 overspend without an immediate supplemental appropriation; staff will return with standard contract documents and manage construction oversight. The council directed staff to proceed with contract award and construction scheduling.

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Votes at a glance: Viaduct improvement contract award — Motion to accept bids and award contract to RAS Construction for $874,314.25; mover: Councilor Frank; second: Councilor Fury; outcome: approved (3‑2). Opposed: Councilors Caltabiano and Quinell.