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Board approves advertising for bids to repair collapsed 24-inch sewer main on West First Avenue (Project U1265)
Summary
The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility Board authorized advertising bids for Project U1265 to repair a partially collapsed 24-inch sewer main located about 30 feet deep on West First Avenue. Staff said temporary bypass pumping is costing about $10,000 per month and moving quickly to procurement could reduce ongoing expenses.
The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility Board approved advertising for public bids on Project U1265 at its April 1, 2025, meeting to address a partially collapsed 24-inch sewer main on the west side of First Avenue on property owned by ADM.
Mitch Ferguson, an Evansville Water and Sewer Utility staff member, told the board the affected main is roughly 30 feet deep and currently requires an active bypass pumping system that is costing the utility approximately $10,000 per month. Ferguson said the early-stage design work has identified groundwater conditions and construction-method variables that have raised estimated costs above initial projections.
To limit ongoing bypass costs, staff requested authority to advertise formal bids as soon as the bid package is ready, outside the typical procurement schedule. Ferguson said the permanent repair contract would include bypass pumping as part of the construction cost so the ongoing monthly bypass charge would end once the project proceeds.
Board members asked about timing; Ferguson said he could not specify a construction duration until design work is further developed, but emphasized the deeper depth would add duration and complexity. The board approved the motion to advertise for bids by voice vote; the transcript does not show a roll-call tally.
Next steps are finalizing the design, publishing the bid advertisement and returning to the board for award and contract approval.
