Council moves ahead with Center Street viaduct award despite bids above estimate; $1.2M funding gap discussed

The City Council authorized staff to proceed with awarding the construction contract for the Center Street viaduct repair to Boulder Contracting LLC after the low bid exceeded the engineer’s opinion of probable cost.

Public Works Director Heather Thomas said the low bid—roughly $4.5 million—was higher than the engineer’s estimate and that, because the DOT’s automatic award threshold (10% of engineer’s estimate) was exceeded, the city now must decide whether to accept the apparent low bid or rebid. Thomas recommended awarding the bid and using roughly $1.2 million from the 2023 street improvement bond (fund 365) to bridge the funding gap, noting that rebidding may not produce a better outcome and could increase contractor pricing.

She explained that higher costs likely stem from project uniqueness and special requirements tied to work over the UP railroad, including containment during sandblasting and higher painting costs. Thomas said DOT letting constrains the city’s ability to negotiate with bidders before award, but staff plans to pursue value engineering and return to council with any recommended change orders or savings opportunities.

Councilors asked about contractor experience, potential for change‑orders and whether any portion of the work could be phased to accommodate the RAGBRAI event; staff said DOT controls bridge closures and that full closure during some work is likely. The council approved proceeding with the award and asked staff to return with further details.