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New Iberia council awards first of $17.1 million road projects; single bidder, 160-day contract
Summary
City council awarded Resolution 2536 to Glenn Leisure Construction LLC for the first of three asphalt reconstruction projects tied to a $17.1 million road program. Staff said only one bid was received, the price was higher than expected, and the contract allows about 160 days for completion with required material testing.
The New Iberia City Council on April 1 approved Resolution 2536 to award a contract to Glenn Leisure Construction LLC for the first of three asphalt reconstruction projects that are part of a $17,100,000 road program.
The award, moved by Councilman David Merrill and seconded by Councilwoman Brooke Marcotte, covers full-depth road reconstructions rather than overlays. A Public Works staff member explained this project isolates reconstruction work so the city can manage schedule and construction sequencing separately from overlay and patch projects.
The staff member said only one contractor bid on the package and that bid came in higher than anticipated; he attributed the high price to heavy demand across nearby parishes. “We only got one bidder, unfortunately. Their price came in higher, and I talked to the customer out there. There is a lot of work in the road business and the multiple parishes around here,” the staff member said.
Staff outlined the timeline and preconstruction steps: the city must prepare and sign contract paperwork (about 30 days), the contractor will take material samples from each road, and laboratory testing on those samples will take roughly 30 days. Once on site, staff said the contract allows about 160 days (roughly six months) to complete the work.
Council members asked about traffic control and responsibility for temporary traffic diversions; staff replied the contractor is responsible for traffic control and related measures. Council members also clarified that the current package covers roads that require rebuilding from the base up because their subbase has failed.
Why it matters: isolating full-depth reconstructions into a single contract is intended to reduce scheduling conflicts and change-order complexity, but the single-bid result and higher price highlight current pressures in the regional road-construction market.
Questions that remain: the transcript records a vote on the resolution but does not include a roll-call tally in the public remarks. The staff member said the next bid package (contract repair) is due April 24 and an overlay package will follow after pricing is received so the city can stay within budget.
