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Council approves 2026 street-improvement bid package; Anderson Excavating low bidder
Summary
Council approved the 2026 Street Improvement Project after Public Works Director presented three bids; Anderson Excavating was the low bidder (about $758,000), the project covers roughly 5.6 miles and is part of a five-year program to repave about 26 miles.
Public Works Director Damien Davis presented the city’s 2026 Street Improvement bid package to Morgantown City Council on July 21, describing a neighborhood-based approach that groups streets to reduce contractor mobilization and cost. Davis told council three bids were received and that Anderson (Anderson/Andersen in the transcript) Excavating was the low bidder at approximately $758,000.
Davis said the 2026 package covers roughly 5.6 miles of roadway and that continuing at this pace would place the city on approximately a 20-year rotation for repaving; a five-year program would total about 26 miles. He explained that some candidate streets were being removed or rescheduled because other entities (for example Star City) planned to repave overlapping segments, and that a number of segments require design or separate treatment (for example Karen Lane and North High Street).
Council discussed curb ramps and ADA compliance; staff said curb-ramp work may be pulled into a separate contract and scheduled ahead of paving so contractors do not conflict. Davis also described pavement-preservation techniques (crack sealing, fog sealing, micro surfacing) as lower-cost maintenance options and said staff are tracking 42 locations where utility work has cut recently repaved sections; 13 of those locations have been completed.
Davis said the city is considering ways to compare or piggyback on the state Department of Highways (DOH) contracts to achieve savings, and noted that regional suppliers and traffic patterns (bus routes) influence deterioration rates and pricing.
The council approved the bid call and associated budget authorization by roll-call vote, 7–0.
Why it matters: The package funds maintenance for a significant share of the city’s arterial and neighborhood streets and includes planning for preservation techniques to extend pavement life. Councilors emphasized scheduling around university move-in dates and the need to coordinate with utilities to avoid re-cutting newly paved sections.
Next steps: Staff will finalize contract paperwork with the low bidder and proceed with preconstruction scheduling; curb-ramp work will be scoped and scheduled to meet ADA guidelines.
