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Board awards State Trunk Highway 16 water‑main crossing bid after higher-than-expected rock excavation costs
Summary
The Onalaska Board of Public Works awarded a bid to install a water main crossing under State Trunk Highway 16 after bids exceeded prior estimates because of unexpected rock excavation and added traffic-control and restoration costs; the board approved using $200,000 from the water CIP fund balance to cover the shortfall.
The Onalaska Board of Public Works and Utilities voted unanimously May 6 to accept staff’s recommendation and award the State Trunk Highway 16 water‑main crossing contract after bids came in materially higher than earlier estimates.
City engineer staff told the board that two firms bid the project and the apparent low bid was roughly $547,096, higher than the staff estimate of about $475,000. Engineers said unforeseen rock excavations at the Highway 16 base, additional traffic control, more restoration work and higher-than-expected fitting costs drove the increase.
Jared Holter, presenting for engineering, said soil borings completed after the 2024 estimate showed rock in the alignment and that moving the alignment to avoid the rock would increase footage and overall cost. He told the board the department recommends accepting the low bid and proceeding rather than rebidding with a different concept.
The project was originally budgeted at $350,000; Holter recommended using $200,000 from the water capital projects fund balance (money set aside for water CIP work) to cover the difference, leaving an approximate $75,000 balance in that fund. Finance director Sabrina Steger confirmed those funds are part of the city’s CIP account designated for water projects and must remain separate from the water utility operating fund.
Mayor Kim moved to accept the recommended bid award; Alder Larry Jurasic seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
The water main will run from Grandview Estates through an easement across Highway 16 to East Plaza Park and into the Berlin Drive extension; presenters said this alignment is the only route that will connect the booster station to the planned extension.
Board members asked about timing and other uses of the water CIP balance. Holter estimated construction would start in June or July and be completed by fall. He told the board this is the only water capital project on the current list for 2025 and staff expect the remaining fund balance to carry into 2026 if unused.
