Engineer: Edgerton Road sewer project needs $50,000–$75,000 more after unexpected field conditions

City Engineer Matt Glass told the North Royalton Utilities Committee on Feb. 3 that the Edgerton Road sanitary sewer project has encountered unanticipated field conditions that have exhausted most of the project’s contingency and will likely require an additional $50,000 to $75,000 beyond the original contract.

The original contract sum is about $1,145,000 and included a $75,000 contingency (approximately 6.6%). "We ran into some field conditions that have used most of the contingency," Glass said, citing poor soils that required undercut and stone replacement and several large headwalls the design did not anticipate. He said none of the extra work is duplicate effort and that he will provide detailed estimates for additional driveway repairs.

Chair Matt Coleman and Finance Director Jenny Esarey asked about next steps. Esarey said the city must process a formal change order because the purchase order cannot exceed the original contract amount; she said a budget amendment will be required and that, because the project is an assessment project, affected property assessments will increase. "I would speak with the mayor and with Mr. Glass to go over what amount," Esarey said.

Glass estimated the increase would amount to roughly 6.6% on top of the contract contingency, producing a total contingency-like exposure near 13.6% of the contract value — a level he described as slightly above the typical 5%–10% contingency used on similar projects. He said contractors are willing to wait while the city completes its internal approval and payment process.

The committee did not take a formal vote on spending more funds at the meeting; Glass said he will deliver a breakdown of extra work already covered by contingency and an estimate for the remaining driveway repairs for distribution to council. Work is to resume as soon as weather permits.