INTERSECTION BIDS TOP ESTIMATE; HENDERSON, NEW MADRID MAY BE REBID

High bids could delay the New Madrid-Henderson intersection project for a year, officials said Monday.

The Cape Girardeau City Council authorized Southeast Missouri State University to proceed with the realignment project last month. But that was contingent on bids for the joint university-city project coming in at or below the engineer's estimate.

Two bids were received and opened Monday. Both came in well over the engineer's $590,000 estimate.

Dannie Gilder Excavating submitted a bid of $775,000, $185,000 over the engineer's estimate. The Nip Kelley construction firm submitted a bid of $669,221, more than $79,000 over the estimate.

"It is real disappointing to see that because we knew we had it on a real tight time schedule all along," said Al Stoverink, the university's facilities management director.

Southeast officials had pushed to construct the improvements to the intersection in hopes of getting the work completed by the end of August when the school's new College of Business building opens. The building is near the intersection.

Stoverink said that won't happen now. "There is simply no time margin left in the schedule to get it done by August."

The $15.5 million business building is scheduled to be completed by mid-August.

Work on the pre-cast artificial limestone exterior walls should be completed soon. Construction crews have started interior finish work in the south wing and that work will progress throughout the entire structure as the exterior work is completed, Stoverink said.

"It will be down to just the finish work very shortly," he said. Furniture will begin arriving in mid-July.

Landscaping and construction of the parking lot remain to be done. Dirt work has started in preparation for those improvements, he said.

Stoverink said the two bids for the intersection work will be reviewed by Sverdrup, the consulting engineering firm on the project, but it is likely the project will be rebid at a later date.

Stoverink said both the city and the university may consider design changes to bring the cost down.

He said the university may look at changes to improvement plans for Greek Drive.

If rebid, the project could be delayed until next year because university and city officials would prefer to do the construction during the summer when there is less traffic.

Tearing up the intersection this fall would create a major traffic problem during the academic year, particularly when basketball games and other events are held at the Show Me Center.

"If you block one of the ways out of the Show Me Center when you have 5,000, 6,000 or 7,000 people there, you are going to create a major nightmare," said Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III. "It would not be reasonable to do it then."

Stoverink said the project has gone through numerous hurdles. The university and the city worked out a deal that allows the university to finance the project, with the city kicking in its share at a later date when transportation tax dollars are allocated for the work.

"Hopefully, the worst case scenario is that we would be delayed one construction season," he said.

Stoverink said lower bids might be received if the project is rebid. Wet weather has put contractors behind on other projects, and the short time frame to complete the project might have led to the high bids, Stoverink said.

Ken Eftink, development services coordinator for the city, said allowing for a longer construction time frame next year could result in lower bids.

Eftink said the university pushed to move the project forward on a quick schedule.

Spradling said the university remains the lead agency on the project.

"I think the university is going to have to take a lead and determine what point in time they are wanting to do this," he said.