Athens council authorizes up to $50,000 to extend drilled shafts for TAP bridge to avoid costly remobilization

The Athens City Council unanimously approved a not-to-exceed $50,000 cost overrun to extend drilled shafts for a pedestrian bridge on the TAP (Transportation Alternatives Program) project on US 31, after contractors encountered unstable material that would prevent reaching competent rock at the originally planned depth.

Michael, a project representative, told the council that exploratory drilling found unsuitable material on the bridge’s south side and that the contractor must drill to greater depth to reach competent rock. He said stopping work to re-evaluate would likely trigger remobilization fees and higher costs: "If we stopped and waited 2 weeks, the . . . remobilization fee . . . is expensive . . . it would probably double the cost I just presented to you tonight," Michael said.

Michael estimated the project’s current expected cost at roughly $4,243,000 and described the $50,000 authorization as breathing room to avoid schedule slippage and more substantial expense. The council approved the add-on request and authorized the city engineer to approve the overrun, with funding provided from the Capital Infrastructure Fund. The vote was 4 yeas, 0 nays.

Council members said bringing the request immediately would save public money by avoiding a later remobilization. The project team said there are no change orders at present and that the additional drilled-shaft work is a time-sensitive response to site conditions.

Next steps: the city engineer will execute the overrun as needed; staff said they will keep the council updated on progress and costs.