ROGERS -- Bids on an extension of Pinnacle Hills Parkway were under the $2.5 million estimate for the project.
Four bids were received, with Fotchman Enterprises entering the lowest bid at $1,961,775 to connect Pauline Whitaker Parkway with Pleasant Grove Road.
"These are very good bids and don't vary that much," said Nathan Becknell, a city engineer.
Brad Hammond, president of McGoodwin Williams & Yates engineering firm, agreed the bids were close.
"When the bids are tightly grouped, that is a good sign. We were right on our estimate and the bids are true," Hammond said. McGoodwin Williams & Yates designed the project and will oversee construction of the the five-lane road.
Two bidders, Dean Crowder Construction and Decco Contractors-Paving, were nearly the same. Decco's bid was $2,013,275 and Crowder's bid was $2,013,580. Crossland Construction had the highest bid at $2,228,647.
"This should be an easy project to complete. The road is going through agriculture land with no utilities to worry about. It won't slow traffic down because it's a new road. Once we get a contract signed, construction work can begin," Becknell said.
Besides providing better connectivity on the west side of Interstate 49, the extension should draw traffic off Champions Drive, a residential neighborhood, to Pinnacle Hills Parkway in a commercial area, Becknell said.
"There is an alternative in the bid package, the extension of Highland Knolls Road to connect with the new section of Pinnacle Hills Parkway," Becknell said. The bid figures listed include the alternative, he said.
Earlier this year when the plans for the extension were shown to the public, several residents of Highland Knolls subdivision said they didn't want the extension of Highland Knolls Road. Some said children play on the dead end street, and the extension would put their children in danger. Other residents favored the road, noting it would make it easier to get to Pauline Whitaker Parkway.
Becknell said he will present the bid Dec. 9 to the City Council Transportation Committee, with the alternative a part of the project.
The contractor will have 210 calendar days, or about seven months, to finish the project from the date the contract is signed, according to the bid specifications.
NW News on 12/03/2014