A $14.7 million bid to replace a bridge on U.S. 278 in Desha County was among the low bids worth $32.6 million opened on eight projects Wednesday by the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
The bridge will replace one that goes over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in McGehee north of where U.S. 278, also called South First Street, intersects with U.S. 65.
Manhattan Road & Bridge Co. of Tulsa beat out five other contractors whose bids ranged from $16.2 million to $20.3 million.
The project was one of three involving bridge replacement.
Robertson Contractors Inc. of Poplar Bluff, Mo., was the low bidder on a $7.7 million bid to replace a bridge on Arkansas 133 over Big Creek northeast of Rison in Cleveland County.
West Plains Bridge and Grading LLC of West Plains, Mo., was the low bidder on a $1.609 million project to replace two bridges on Arkansas 141 between U.S. 412 and Arkansas 258 in Greene County.
A proven strategy to reduce head-on collisions on two-lane highways in 40 Arkansas counties will cost $4.4 million under a low bid submitted by Brydl Contracting Inc. of Sulphur Springs, Texas.
The contract calls for installation of 3.7 million linear feet of centerline rumble strips on sections of state highways, or the equivalent of about 700 miles. That works out to about 17.5 miles of highway in each county receiving the rumble strips.