Derby council approves $1.7 million contract for North Interceptor sewer work

The Derby City Council on Jan. 14 authorized a $1,702,734 contract with Meis Construction to construct the red segment of the North Interceptor sewer, a gravity sewer that will run from Patriot Avenue north to 55th Street and tie into a larger system that includes a lift station and a force main to Madison Avenue.

Alex Laine, the city engineer, told the council the project was bid in December 2024, drew three close bids and that Meis Construction submitted the low, responsible bid at $1,702,734 — below the engineer’s estimate. Laine said the interceptor and associated work will serve future development north of 55th Street, including the platted Sky Ridge subdivision and the planned Greenwood Village area, and that design work for the related segments and lift station is underway.

The council approved the contract during the meeting after questions about routing, timing and easements. Laine said the work includes deep gravity sewer pipe and a lift station that will pump flows through a force main to an existing interceptor near High Park; because force mains are pressurized and do not rely on gravity, they generally require less depth than gravity sewers but are harder to tap into directly. He said the construction contract is one of three linked projects needed to extend sewer service through the area.

On the financing side, Laine said the construction will be paid with general obligation bonds and that, for the first time under a new city policy, developers that will be served by the improvements have signed petitions agreeing to participate in costs. He said Sky Ridge’s petition will cover about 6.5% of the project cost now, and that the city’s policy anticipates that petitions ultimately could account for about 25% of the total project cost as the entire tributary area develops.

Council members asked about timing, temporary options and easements. Laine and another staff member said the red portion is expected to start in early spring and could be completed by the end of the year, but that the schedule depends on obtaining remaining easements and on grading work in the Star Bond district. Staff said the Star Bond grading contract is bidding soon and that a temporary lift-station alternate is included in the bid package to allow early development in Sky Ridge to connect before the permanent lift station and force main are finished.

Council voted to authorize the contract; staff did not provide a contract number at the meeting. Laine said the low, closely clustered bids suggested the plans were complete and that contractors were comfortable with the work.

The contract authorization accompanies other related actions on the council’s agenda, including annexation steps and prior approvals for land needed for the overall sewer plan. Staff warned that some easements remain to be acquired and that eminent-domain actions remain a last resort if voluntary agreements cannot be reached.