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MTA board authorizes up to $692,029 to repair longstanding Nestor sinkhole
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Summary
The Nashville MTA board approved a staff recommendation to award a $532,330 construction contract and a 30% contingency for repair work at the Nestor facility, citing years of geotechnical investigation and a stabilization program. The vote was by voice.
The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority board voted to authorize staff to contract for repairs to a long-running sinkhole at the agency’s Nestor lot, approving the base bid and alternate plus contingency that together authorized $692,029 for the project.
Board members heard a presentation from Patrick Hester, who traced the problem to subsurface erosion tied to a 48-inch sanitary sewer line. Hester said geotechnical work by CDM Smith and Athena — including 77 borings down to bedrock — found visible breaks and silt intrusion that have driven the sinkhole’s recurring surface failures. He described a 2023 emergency stabilization program and a proposed repair that would install a low-maintenance concrete slab across a roughly 100-by-125-foot area; staff estimated a roughly 12-week construction window staged in three phases so normal operations could continue.
Staff identified Bedrock Construction Company as the lowest responsive bidder with a base bid of $496,700 and a bid alternate for adjacent asphalt pavement reconstruction of $35,600, bringing the contract award to $532,330. Because of subsurface unknowns, staff requested a 30% contingency ($159,699), for a total authorized project amount of $692,029. Hester said the work will be funded as part of the capital plan under the state-of-good-repair program using FTA 5307 formula funds with state and local match.
Jessica Dauphin moved to approve the recommendation as written; Nick Pachenko seconded. The board approved the motion by voice vote. Chair Gail Carr Williams thanked staff for the work. Staff said Metro Water holds an easement for the pipe and will later abandon and cap the line as part of a separate Metro Water project; MTA’s planned repair aims to stabilize MTA property and preserve capacity while Metro Water completes its portion of the longer project.
The board’s authorization directs the chief executive officer to execute the contract and proceed with the repair; staff said the agency will continue post‑construction monitoring to ensure stability and will coordinate final abandonment activity with Metro Water.
