Council to award Mare Lake Boulevard left-turn lane contract after bids come in below estimate

At the Aug. 5 work session, City Engineer Mark Teal reported that the city opened bids July 30 for construction of a left-turn lane on Mare (Mirror) Lake Boulevard to address traffic safety and turning maneuvers near Meadowlark and Shoreline. Bids ranged from about $447,361 (Summit Construction) to $484,000; the low bid was roughly $200,000 below the city's internal estimate, Teal said.

Why it matters: The project will add a turn lane intended to improve safety and traffic flow where growth and new development has increased turning movements. Council raised questions about impacts to existing sidewalks, adjacent property fences and guardrail relocations.

Scope and questions: Staff confirmed the work will not require entering private yards or removing property-owner fences but will involve some guardrail removal and reinstallation and minor path relocations. Teal said schedule details were pending receipt of a contractor schedule and that staff will circulate the timing to council once the contractor provides it. Council discussed alternative configurations such as write-in/write-out access restrictions, but staff said earlier development agreements and anticipated future traffic from nearby development made those options infeasible.

Next steps: Council agreed to place the award on the consent agenda for the next regular meeting; staff will return with a contractor schedule and start date. Council members noted the project had been discussed in earlier workshops and emphasized transparency about the timeline and the necessity of the work to complete previously-planned road improvements.