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Willard council votes to stop work on Highway 89 project amid disputed bids
Summary
Council moved to pause a Highway 89 construction agreement after engineers and council members raised concerns about cost escalation, changed project scope and lack of an itemized invoice for roughly $50,000 in charges.
Willard — Councilors voted to halt work on a Highway 89 project after members challenged a sharply higher bid and asked for an itemized invoice from the state contractor.
Council members said the original plan included more crossings and a much smaller cost estimate; subsequent bids reduced the number of crossings while increasing the total price. Staff told the council UDOT said the city could exit the contract but would owe payment for work completed to date — an amount the mayor said was approximately $50,000. The mayor said he requested an itemized invoice and deliverables for that charge before approving any payment.
Engineering staff and council members questioned the math in the contractor’s bid and raised the possibility that the city could bore crossings at lower cost than the contractor’s open‑cut estimates. ‘‘If they can’t itemize what we’re paying them for, they could throw any number out there,’’ one council member said.
A motion to stop work on Highway 89 was moved and seconded; the council approved the motion by voice vote.
Next steps: staff said they will press the contractor/UDOT for an itemized invoice and review alternatives such as boring or staged work to reduce costs.
