CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Lexington, Kentucky-based company is the apparent low bidder on the major project to prepare nearly 15 miles in Putnam and Mason counties to become four lanes of U.S. Route 35.
DOH spokesman Carrie Bly said Bizzack Construction submitted the apparent low bid for the grade and drainage project Wednesday of $174.45 million. Bly said the firm, if the bid receives final approval, will have a great responsibility.
MORE Read bid information here
“Not only designing, building, but also financing (the project),” Bly said.
Financing for the project will be done through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) option, which sets a base payment for the state over the life of the contract and requires the contractor to pick up the slack in the busier months of construction when it may be more expensive than the state’s locked-in payment.
“We will pay them monthly but it allows us to take on these projects and move forward. Being able to pay in smaller amounts we can get more done,” Bly said.
Bizzack was one of five companies to bid on the work. It’s bid was just $2.5 million lower than Kokosing Construction, which has done work on other sections of U.S. Route 35. The $174.45 million contract would be the largest single construction contract in state DOH history.
The 14.6 mile contract calls for everything but the paving according to Bly.
“They’ll be moving dirt and if there’s anything to be built as far as bridges or any structures like that, they will do everything except the actual paving. That will be done by Oct. 2018 and then we will pave it and be able to open it,” she said.
The paving job will be awarded in separate contracts.
The 14.6 miles in Putnam and Mason counties is the last stretch of the 412-mile U.S. Route 35 from Michigan City, Indiana, to Scott Depot, WV not to be four-lanes.
Bly said it’s possible there will be some prep work in the construction zone before the end of the year but it’s more likely heavy construction will start next spring.