BENTONVILLE -- Repairs to the historic War Eagle Bridge are on hold while Benton County officials seek permission to rebid the work.
"We're waiting to hear from the Federal Highway Administration," County Judge Bob Clinard said Thursday.
Clinard told the Quorum Court last month he had decided not to award the contract to the lowest bidder after reviewing the qualifications of the companies that submitted bids.
The low bid came from JL Bry-Son of Huntsville. The next lowest bid was from Crossland Heavy Contractors of C̶o̶l̶u̶m̶b̶i̶a̶,̶ ̶M̶o̶.̶ Columbus, Kan.* The difference in the two lowest bids was about $109,000. The low bidder questioned his decision, Clinard said, raising several legal objections. Clinard decided to try to rebid the project.
Clinard said the original bids didn't require experience in building or repairing bridges. He said the county wants to specify in the new bids that companies have such experience. The proposed new bid documents are being reviewed by state and federal agencies, Clinard said.
Benton County hired Great River Engineering to assess and develop recommendations for repairing the 108-year-old bridge. The company also included two alternate packages of additional work to extend the useful life of the bridge and increase its weight-bearing capacity.
The engineering estimate from Great River for the base bid work was $859,550, with the base plus alternate one coming in at $987,550 and the base bid plus alternate one and alternate two at $1,158,550.
The county is slated to receive a $500,000 federal Transportation Alternatives Program grant to help pay for the work. Clinard said that is why the Federal Highway Administration approval of new bids documents is required.
Pat Adams, District 6 justice of the peace and chairman of the county's Transportation Committee, said he suggested a new bid with more specifics, but he doesn't know if his request will be approved.
"I would prefer the bidders have some experience in rehabilitating old bridges," Adams said. "It's completely different than building bridges now. No one builds bridges like they did this one."
The county's original schedule had been for the work to begin around the beginning of November so the project could be essentially completed before the spring arts and crafts fairs in the area. Delays with the first set of bid documents set that schedule back by about a month and the latest delays even more.
Adams said completing the work by May won't happen, but the project can still be done in a way that accommodates the fair.
"I think they can do this in phases," he said. "It would work out if the bridge needed to be closed for a week and could then be opened for a week. They might be allowed to have at least foot traffic and hopefully vehicle traffic."
Adams said the county needs to keep area residents, police and firefighters and other first responders informed on the changes to the work that will require periodic closings.
"It's going to be more of an annoyance; it's just a delay." he said. "But it's critical for EMS and other emergency services to know when the bridge will be open and when it will be closed."
Chief Tom Jenkins with the Rogers Fire Department said the population in the area east of the bridge is small, with probably no more than "a couple dozen" emergency medical calls coming from the area in a year's time. Jenkins said Rogers has not had any discussions with county officials about the bridge closing.
Marc Trollinger, Benton County's fire marshal, said the county's plan is to consider the bridge to be closed for the duration of the repair work, regardless of the sort of day-to-day changes Adams mentioned. Trollinger said the county plans to dispatch ambulance service from the Benton County Emergency Medical Services station in Hickory Creek to serve the area east of the bridge for the time it is being repaired.
The Piney Point Volunteer Fire Department has fire stations, equipment and personnel on both sides of the bridge, Trollinger said, and other fire services that may be needed can be rerouted through Washington County.
Metro on 12/12/2016
*CORRECTION: Crossland Heavy Contractors is headquartered in Columbus, Kan., and has an office in Rogers. Its home city was incorrect in this story.