Brodhead council rejects bids for W. 3rd Ave. and 13th St. reconstruction after engineer cites steep overages

Mayor Simpson and the Brodhead Common Council voted on March 6 to reject all bids for the city’s planned W. 3rd Avenue and 13th Street reconstruction after an MSA engineer said submitted bids were substantially higher than project estimates.

Joe DeYoung of engineering firm MSA told the council the project drew fewer bidders than expected and that several line items exceeded the engineer’s estimates. He said water-main alternate pricing arrived around $495,082 (engineer estimate $372,000), sanitary-sewer work rose from an estimate near $441,219 to about $689,206 because of deeper-than-anticipated trenches and groundwater, and unclassified excavation returned at roughly $805,000 versus an expected under $100,000. The base construction bid was about $2.9 million against an expected $2.1 million; combined with alternates the low bids approached $3.73 million.

DeYoung explained the sanitary overage was driven primarily by groundwater depth and advised the council that slip-lining could be used in some locations to avoid full excavation but would not resolve lateral or offset-joint issues. He also noted several added alternative bid items that increased cost and recommended that the council consider removing optional items—such as sidewalk segments—or narrowing roadway width to lower price, though some changes could affect grant eligibility and would require review.

To increase contractor interest, DeYoung recommended rejecting the current bids and rebidding the project as a two-year contract, allowing more flexible start times and segment sequencing; he said the city would still need a contractor on board and that work would need to begin by the end of June under current expectations. He suggested the council consult Ehlers for financing options and said a longer contract window could attract more bidders.

A motion by Alderperson Sauer to reject all bids for the 2025 street reconstruction of W. 3rd Ave. and 13th Street, seconded by Alderperson Baxter, passed unanimously. The council did not adopt any substitute scope or award a contract at the meeting; members indicated staff should pursue options for rebidding and financing and return with recommendations.

Next steps noted by council members included clarification of sidewalk scope before rebid (to realize estimated savings), confirming whether removing portions of 13th Street would affect grant eligibility through the Department of Administration, and determining whether the city’s wastewater facility can accommodate staged storage if the project is extended over multiple seasons. The council recorded a two-year completion window as feasible (completion by October 2026) if rebid as recommended.