St. Francois County approves $199,122.95 change order for Berry Road bridge

St. Francois County commissioners voted to approve a $199,122.95 change order for Capital Paving and Construction on the Berry Road bridge project.

County staff said the additional cost resulted from an engineering underestimation of concrete quantities and removal of unexpected old concrete slab material found during excavation. Jason, a county public-works staff member, told the commission crews had to remove an unanticipated concrete slab after tearing down the old metal bridge, and the contractor flagged the shortfall during work.

Commissioners asked where funds for the change order would come from and whether the county had budgeted for it. County staff said the overall bridge project remains fully budgeted and includes a contingency; they described the project as a governor's cost-share and noted the change-order amount is within the overall project budget. Miss Cooper (county staff) confirmed there is a contingency built into the project budget.

Commission discussion noted that while the change-order percentage is higher than typical single-line change orders in some jurisdictions, the county remains under its overall budget for the bridge project. Commissioners also referenced prior change orders tied to headwall work and said this concrete-decking cost is distinct from earlier work.

A motion to accept the change order for Capital Paving and Construction for $199,122.95 was made and approved by voice vote.

The commission did not specify individual vote tallies in the record; the meeting transcript registers the motion and the chair calling for "all in favor, aye."