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Lake Jackson council approves change order to reroute water-line bore under Highway 332, requires TxDOT sign-off
Summary
Council approved change order #5 for city project 25081217 to relocate a proposed bore under State Highway 332 after contractor encountered underground obstructions; the contractor proposed an $42,000 initial HDPE casing attempt at 18-foot depth (about 60% confidence) and warned a full-bore option could cost substantially more; council required written TxDOT approval for the casing material.
Council voted to approve change order number 5 for city project number 25081217 with Android Construction Services LLC to relocate a proposed bore under State Highway 332 East. City staff and the contractor described encountering two unknown obstructions while installing steel casing; the obstructions forced repeated deflections and prevented completion of the planned casing route.
A city staff member explained the contractor’s staged plan: the first attempt would pull an HDPE (plastic) casing through at an 18-foot elevation, an initial effort budgeted at about $42,000 with roughly a 60% confidence of success. If that attempt fails, the contractor said the alternative would be a full continuous 18-foot bore across the highway, which the contractor estimated could raise the change order cost into the higher five figures (the contractor and staff cited an additional figure in the range of $188,000 in meeting remarks). The contractor’s on-site representative said, “100% confident that we can get through there at 18 foot,” while a city staff member cautioned the council that the HDPE casing typically requires written approval from TxDOT before it can be used in a highway crossing. Council conditioned approval on written TxDOT permission and carried the motion.
Councilors asked whether ground-penetrating radar or alternate alignments had been considered; staff and the contractor explained GPR would be limited under concrete and that previous attempts at shallower depths had encountered the obstruction. Staff recommended and council approved a deep continuous bore option if the initial attempt fails so the city would avoid frequent repair joints and improve long-term reliability. The motion passed with the requirement that TxDOT provide written approval of the casing exception before work proceeds.
