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St. Louis County approves $millions in road and bridge contracts, citing competitive local bids
Summary
The St. Louis County Board awarded multiple public-works contracts for crack sealing, reclaim/overlay, a box culvert bridge and scrub/fog seal work; board and staff highlighted competitive bids from local firms and state-aid funding support.
St. Louis County commissioners on Feb. 3 approved a package of public-works contracts for road, bridge and surface-seal projects after staff reported competitive bids and multiple local contractors winning awards.
The awards included a scrub-seal, fog-seal and pavement-marking contract (board letter 25-31) to KGM Contractors; a box-culvert bridge contract (25-32) to KGM Contractors; several reclaim-and-overlay projects (25-33) to Eulen Brothers Inc.; and a set of crack-sealing contracts (25-34) awarded to KGM Contractors. Commissioners moved each contract to a vote and approved them by voice vote.
County administration told the board the scrub-seal package covers nine county projects and is funded from both state aid and county road funds, and that the apparent low bid was approximately $972,000. Administrator Gray said the reclaim-and-overlay package came in “at or actually almost 4% below our engineer’s estimate” and that the award amount for that package is “just over $2½ million.” Director Fildesi (public works) described some segments as short stretches with poor PQI scores that will improve system performance.
Commissioners and staff framed the results as a combination of timing and local market strength: Commissioner Nelson credited county public-works staff for engaging local contractors and said the outcome reflected negotiation and market conditions that brought bids below engineer estimates. Administrator Gray and others said getting projects out early in the season has encouraged competitive local bidding and produced cost savings.
Board members noted tradeoffs: some crack‑sealing contracts carried higher-than-estimate prices because mobilization costs rise when work is scattered across long distances, while timely lifecycle investments reduce long‑term repair costs. Commissioners also noted partners on many contracts — townships and cities share some projects under the same bid umbrella.
The board heard no dissents during the roll calls for these items and adopted the awards by voice vote.
Votes at a glance
- Board letter 25-31 (scrub seal, fog seal, pavement markings): awarded to KGM Contractors; funding: state aid funds and county road funds; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Board letter 25-32 (box culvert bridge): awarded to KGM Contractors; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Board letter 25-33 (reclaim and overlay): awarded to Eulen Brothers Inc.; amount reported as “just over $2½ million”; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Board letter 25-34 (crack sealing and repairs): awarded to KGM Contractors; outcome: approved (voice vote).
Board members and staff said they plan follow-up briefings on state aid funding levels and will ask public-works leadership to present a fuller picture of state-aid forecasts at a subsequent meeting. Commissioner Mussoff and Director Fildesi were among those who asked for and committed to that follow-up.
