County awards Schneider Creek and Little Rock Road bridge contracts totaling about $3.5 million

Thurston County Public Works presented two construction contract awards to the board and commissioners voted to approve both.

Marcus Durbic, senior civil engineer, asked the board to award the WSDOT US 101 Schneider Creek stormwater project (CP70007) to Black Hills Excavating Inc. of Olympia for $611,272. Durbic said the project includes stormwater retrofits along the median and both shoulders to manage and treat runoff from about 2.5 acres of US Highway 101 near the Steamboat Island Road NW exit. Funding for the project comes from Washington State Department of Transportation annual stormwater fees allocated to Thurston County; Durbic said those fees can only be used for stormwater improvements that manage runoff from state right-of-way.

Keaton Forbes Kishani, senior civil engineer with Public Works, presented the Little Rock Road and 113th Avenue SW bridge and intersection improvements (CP61320) and recommended awarding the contract to Quig Bros Inc. of Aberdeen, Washington, in the amount of $2,932,569. Kishani said the project improves mobility and safety at the intersection and replaces a structurally deficient L5 bridge over Bloemstitch; Public Works reported it has received $2,262,460 in federal funding and intends to use transportation impact fees for the remaining cost.

Both contract awards were moved, seconded and carried by voice vote; the director of Public Works was authorized to execute contracts and to approve change orders limited to unforeseen conditions up to 10% of the contract amount.