MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - County council has approved $85,000 in additional funding for a bridge replacement project on Rge. Rd. 22 between Olds and Eagle Hill near the county’s north boundary.
During the recent council meeting, Ryan Morrison, director of operations, explained that council originally approved the project with a construction budget of $290,000. The project did not occur in 2021 and the full amount carried forward to 2022.
On Aug. 29, 2022 one bid was received for the project totalling $373,325, and council decided at the time to defer and re-tender the project in 2023.
“An updated tender was posted on Alberta Purchasing Connection by Roseke Engineering Ltd. with a closing date of Feb. 8, 2023,” he said. “Four bids were received at closing, with Unsurpassable Construction Ltd. as the lowest at $328,525. This represents savings of approximately $45,000 compared with the results of last year.
“Operational services is requesting approval for an additional $85,000 to move forward with this project. An additional $38,000 will be required for bridge construction and an additional $47,500 for the reminder of engineering, including construction management and post-construction engineering.”
Morrison said prices have been on the rise for bridge projects across the region.
“Everything is going up right now,” he said. “We have been in discussion with Red Deer County and some of our other neighbour municipalities and they are seeing the same things. Prices are going up.”
Coun. Gord Krebs asked why the tender in 2023 was lower than the 2022 tender bid. Morrison said that was due to the fact four bids were received instead of just one the previous year.
The bridge on Rge. Rd. 22 is on a dead end road and the only access for a number of residents, council heard.
The project itself was awarded Strategic Transportation Innovation Program (STIP) funding, which will cover 75 per cent of the costs up to $187,500.
