Johnson County opens sealed bids for 2026 road materials, sends packages to highway engineer for review

The Johnson County Board of Commissioners opened sealed bids Dec. 15 for 2026 road materials — including aggregate, concrete, FOB hot-mix asphalt and liquid asphalt — and voted to send the packages to the county highway engineer for review.

Clerk/staff read multiple bids for the coming calendar year. Wardstone LLC submitted a partial bid for $220,210. Shelby Materials filed a full bid for $313,700. Bids for FOB hot-mix asphalt included Milestone Contractors plant bids of $1,991,800 and $1,872,550, and Reeth Riley Construction was recorded in the transcript at about $2,129,000 (formatting in the procurement reading was noisy). Asphalt Materials Inc. submitted a liquid asphalt bid of $693,900 and provided itemized unit pricing.

The bids were read aloud by county staff and Commissioner (Unidentified, S4) moved “to turn over to Daniel” for review and recommendation; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Highway Engineer Daniel Johnston (S6) confirmed he could provide a map and additional details for commissioners before the next meeting.

Why it matters: opening sealed bids initiates the formal procurement process and gives staff authority to evaluate price, delivery and compliance before commissioners take a contract award vote. The highway office’s recommendations will determine which vendor(s) the county pursues for 2026 materials and could affect road project schedules.

What’s next: staff will review bids with the highway engineer and return recommendations for award at a future meeting. Commissioners asked to receive a map and a written recommendation before final action.