Construction on Davis Avenue in McCall won’t start again until next year.
The Davis Ave. reconstruction project is a two-phase package that will revitalize the roadway. McCall Public Works Director Nathan Stewart said the asphalt on Davis has reached the end of its useful life.
Construction on the first phase of the project wrapped last summer. The second phase was slated to start this year, but the sole bid was too expensive and now construction is on hold until next year.
Project details
The first phase covered the full reconstruction of the south section of the road from Reedy Ln. south to Thompson Ave. Bike lanes were also added. This portion had a price tag of $3,668,062.84.
The second phase is the northern half of the project which will reconstruct the entire roadway from Reedy Ln. to Lick Creek Rd. and add bike lanes to both sides. There is also a planned separate pathway that would go from Fairway Dr. to Lick Creek Rd.
In addition, there are underground improvements to the water system, including replacing the potable distribution mains.
Stewart said there is also a bid alternate for paving the Davis Beach parking lot on the corner of Lick Creek Rd. and Davis Ave.
The rejected bid + next steps
The city was taking bids for the northern portion of this project and received only one bid from Meridian-based Blue Sky Construction for $4,961,641.75. The McCall City Council moved to reject the bid last week.
Stewart said this was 25% over the engineer’s estimate. He says this is “significant on a multi-million dollar project.”
Engineer estimates were done by looking over costs incurred during the first phase of the project.
“It’s about a million dollars on the line,” Stewart told the council. “And that’s split between the Water Department and the Streets Department. Money saved on this project means money that can go into other roads on other street projects in the next couple of years; chip sealing, micro surfacing, resurfacing of roads. And as you drive the roads as the spring melts the snow and you see all these roads that deteriorate, you can see how quickly investment in these asphalt roadways becomes significant.”
Stewart explained that waiting until next year could save both the taxpayer and the Water Department.
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The project is being paid for by McCall’s Street Local Option Tax, a $1.8 million Strategic Initiatives Grant the city received from the Idaho Transportation Department, and the water improvements will be funded by the Water Department.
Stewart said the city will likely rebid the project in early fall of this year. If the city receives competitive bids within the budget, the council will recommend approving the low bid for construction in 2025.
“Idaho is completely strained with the amount of work that’s being put out for bids and the number of contractors that are available and willing to do this type of work, especially in Valley County,” he said. “The bidding environment is just very difficult to time. We think bidding in the fall is the most advantageous because contractors… have a lot more openings in their future construction season. Our construction season is basically June to October… So that also limits the number of contractors that are interested, as well as the costs, and kind of the pace at which the work needs to get done.”
