The City of Chehalis awarded contracts for construction and consultation work this month for phase two of the Main Street improvement project.
Rognlin’s Inc. out of Aberdeen was the lowest of four contract bids the city received at $537,740. Gibbs and Olson Inc. out of Longview was awarded a consultant supplemental agreement for construction management services.
Gibbs and Olson was awarded its contract at the May 22 Chehalis City Council meeting totaling $83,170, a total that was approved when Rognlin’s was awarded the initial contract at the May 8 city council meeting.
Once construction crews begin working, grind and inlay work will be done on Main Street starting at the BNSF railroad tracks and going west to Interstate 5.
While originally scheduled for last summer, phase two was delayed following communication difficulties with Rainier Rail and multiple city staff changes.
“We wanted to get this in as soon as possible so we didn't lose a two-week period where we could schedule work with Rognlin’s,” Chehalis Public Works Director Lance Bunker said at a May 8 city council meeting.
Bunker told The Chronicle in an email he expects phase two construction to begin on June 5 and for it to be completed by the second week in August.
The delay has increased construction costs, as not only has inflation affected cost of materials and labor but also the city’s matching funds for the grant it received last year. The City of Chehalis had been awarded a Washington Transportation Improvement Board arterial preservation grant, which requires a 10% local match.
Last year, that match would have cost the city $65,130, but now the city will have to pay a total of $109,890. Money for this project will be sourced from the Chehalis Transportation Benefit District fund.
In the end, the council unanimously approved the Main Street phase two project at a cost not to exceed $776,721, including change orders.
