Commission awards Highway 7 bridge repair contract, approves Banner construction engineering services

The Covington County Commission on Oct. 21 awarded the contract to repair the Highway 7 bridge (project 15‑240‑155) to the low bidder and approved Banner Associates for construction‑phase engineering and inspection services.

Banner Associate Mark Yanker told the commission that the county received six bids for the bridge repair east of town, that the engineer’s estimate was about $118,000 and that the low bid came in at just under $93,000. “Grama Construction was the low bid. They do meet the qualifications listed in the bid documents,” Yanker said.

Commissioner Johnson moved to accept the engineer’s recommendation to award the contract pending South Dakota Department of Transportation approval; Commissioner McElhaney seconded the motion and the commission voted to approve it.

The commission separately approved a contract with Banner Associates to provide construction‑phase services during repairs, including contract administration, observation and testing. Yanker said SDDOT will cover 80 percent of Banner’s fees for those services.

Why this matters: awarding the low bid and securing construction‑phase engineering finalizes the contractor and inspector roles for the bridge project, allowing work to begin once required state approvals are complete.

Details: the project is listed in the agenda as 15‑240‑155. Commissioners were told the bid totals and that Banner would oversee construction activities; staff noted the award is contingent on SDDOT concurrence.

The commission took both votes on the floor; no roll‑call tallies were provided in the record.