Milestone Contractors came in as the lowest bidder on a railroad overpass that will be built over the intersection of State Road 46 and State Road 11 on the city’s west side.
City engineer Dave Hayward said the Indiana Department of Transportation opened bids on Oct. 9. The lowest bid for the work was Milestone Contractors at about $25.5 million, with Force Construction close behind, Hayward said.
Columbus City Council members earlier this month authorized the Columbus Redevelopment Commission to transfer $4.6 million in Central TIF District funds to a city-run pool of money that has been dispersing the local portion of funding for the project to the Indiana Department of Transportation, who is overseeing the project.
Initially, INDOT’s cost estimate for the project was $30 million, and the city is responsible for putting together half of the project’s cost, or $15 million, according to the terms of an interlocal agreement between the city and INDOT. The state will pay for the other half of the project’s costs.
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The city has partnered with Cummins Inc., Bartholomew County and the Louisville & Indiana and CSX Railroads to defray around half of the local funding requirements in the interlocal agreement, city officials said.
However, in September, INDOT raised its construction cost estimate for the project from $30 million to $35.3 million, raising the city’s share from $15 million to around $17.6 million.
The increased cost estimate accounts for right-of-way acquisition costs that were higher than expected and rising construction costs.
According to a memorandum by redevelopment director Heather Pope, the city and its partners have, to date, collectively paid $13 million for the project — or $4.6 million less than the $17.6 million the city and its partners are projected to be paying.
The Central TIF District has paid $4 million for the project so far, and the Cummins Plant 1 TIF District has paid $5.5 million. Bartholomew County has contributed $2 million, and the Louisville & Indiana and CSX Railroads have chipped in $1.5 million collectively.
Pope said the entire $4.6 million will come from the Central TIF District, raising the total amount from the Central TIF District to $8.6 million, or roughly 25% of the project’s total cost.
The city council is expected to take up the appropriation of funds for the railroad overpass project during its meetings on Nov. 6 and Nov. 19.
INDOT has had a pre-construction meeting with Milestone Contractors, utility companies and other entities to discuss details of the project, Hayward told redevelopment commissioners last week.
Once a contract is awarded to the low bidder by INDOT, Hayward said construction will be off and running.
The new interchange will allow motorists to avoid being slowed or stopped because of increasing railroad traffic projected to occur on the Louisville & Indiana Railroad tracks which pass through Columbus.
Substantial completion of the overpass project is expected by the end of 2020. Hayward said earlier that landscaping and other finishing work will continue through 2021.
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Milestone Contractors, L.P. is a highway, heavy construction and site-development general contractor, providing construction services primarily within the state of Indiana. The company is pre-qualified with the Indiana Department of Transportation and Departments of Transportation in the states of Kentucky, Ohio and Illinois.
Source: Milestone Contractors
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