SPRINGDALE — The apparent low bid for a section of the Razorback Greenway came in below cost estimates.
Representatives of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission opened bids Friday, with a low bid coming from NEC Inc. of Rogers for $2.49 million. The bid must be checked for accuracy, and to make sure all requirements are met before the contract is awarded, said John McLarty, a planner with the commission.
Six bids were submitted, McLarty said, ranging up to $3.3 million. One other bid was also under the engineer’s estimate of $2.6 million, he said.
The section runs from Lake Fayetteville to Meadow Avenue, McLarty said. If all checks out, the contractor will be given a notice to proceed with construction in January.
The remaining section in Springdale should be ready for bid in February, said Patsy Christie, city director of planning and community development. That section is from Meadow Street to Lake Springdale, McLarty said.
A section in Lowell, from Goad Springs Road to Garrett Road, should be ready for bid at about the same time, McLarty said.
Three sections of the greenway are now under construction, McLarty said. Two in northern Springdale and one in Rogers. Springdale’s projects are from Lake Springdale to Appleblossom Road and from Appleblossom to Goad Springs Road.
The section under construction in Rogers runs from Pleasant Grove Road to the Manors Subdivision.
The greenway is a 36-mile trail from Fayetteville to Bentonville. A $15 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant is helping to pay for the greenway. Matching money is coming from $15 million pledged by the Walton Family Foundation for area trails.