Longer work hours and a bonus for finishing early could make a difference when it comes to building a highway underpass in Basalt.
Engineers are looking at how to change the underpass design to bring down the cost and make construction more efficient. The project has been on pause after bids last summer came in millions of dollars higher than expected. “We plan on updating our design drawings and submitting them at the end of this month,” said Louis Meyer on Tuesday night during a Basalt Town Council meeting. Meyer is with the consulting firm SGM. “We hope to then re-advertise the project in mid February, open the bids with a three week bid period in the first week of March.” Council members can decide later in March which contractor to go with.
The underpass would go under Highway 82 at the Basalt Avenue intersection. Meyer says once the new design is finished, town officials will know how much the project could cost. Previously it was pegged at around $5 million. About $2 million dollars in matching funds are on the table from CDOT, but that agency says that money could go away in April if there are no affordable bids this spring.
