Anoka County moves forward with costly rehab of 40 Fourth Avenue bridge after bids exceed estimates

The Anoka County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to award a contract to proceed with replacement of the bridge deck on 40 Fourth Avenue in Fridley after staff reported bids substantially exceeded the county’s engineer estimate.

Commissioner Jepsen, who chairs the Transportation and Parks Committee, pulled the project from the consent agenda to explain a significant cost increase and to allow county engineer Joe McPherson to outline options. McPherson said the low bid came in at nearly $16 million, about 31% higher than the county’s inflated engineer estimate of roughly $12.1 million; the second bid was about $18.4 million. The county had previously budgeted $13.5 million for the project.

McPherson told the board the bridge is structurally constrained and unusually difficult to work on because it sits over a BNSF rail yard with 26 active tracks and uses “stay‑in‑place” metal forms under the deck that prevent visual inspection from below. Those features force contractors to perform most work from the top of the deck and to coordinate tightly with BNSF for limited windows of safe access. McPherson said concrete fragments have previously fallen from beneath the deck and replacing the deck is necessary to maintain a safe crossing.

The transportation staff presented five options: do nothing (reject all bids), remove the bridge entirely, investigate and stage repairs for the top wearing course only, reject and rebid in the fall, or award the current low bid. McPherson and committee members recommended awarding the contract to avoid losing roughly $5 million in secured funding and to avoid additional inflationary risks that could raise prices later.

To keep the work within the board’s approved 2025 budget, McPherson said the county will reduce its 2025 overlay program by about $4 million, raising the project budget to roughly $17.5 million and leaving an estimated $1.5 million contingency. He named three pavement projects that will be deferred one year to accommodate the reallocation: County Road 10 (east of Highway 65 to the east county line), County Road 14 (a stretch east of Main Street), and County Road 36 in the northeast corner of the county.

Commissioners asked about contractor qualifications and project oversight. McPherson said the county met with the low bidder (identified in committee discussions as Lunda) and the consultant TKDA and that TKDA will place two bridge inspectors on site for construction oversight. He also said the county continues to coordinate with BNSF for workable construction windows. McPherson estimated the rehab would extend the bridge’s useful life by about 40 to 50 years.

After questions and a second, the board voted by roll call to approve the recommendation to proceed; the motion passed unanimously. Commissioners and staff characterized the decision as balancing fiscal and scheduling risks against safety and long‑term asset preservation.