ASHLAND — Low bids received for four Ashland County infrastructure projects each came in under the projects’ estimated cost.
The four bid openings were conducted during Thursday’s meeting of the Ashland County Board of Commissioners.
Ashland County Engineer Ed Meixner provided overviews of the scope of work for each project prior to the bid opening. Meixner also shared his cost estimate for each project.
Below are breakdowns of each project, along with lists of the submitted bids.
Structural steel
Meixner said four structural steel bridges are due for replacement. The bridges have been around for about 40 to 50 years, he said. But the use of road salt over that time period has caused some rotting that needs addressed.
Planned work on each bridge is covered under its own contract. Galvanized steel will be used to replace the existing bridges, the engineer said.
The bridges set to be replaced are located on County Road 1100, Township Road 1104, Township Road 2672 and Township Road 391, Meixner said.
U.S. Bridge, out of Cambridge, submitted the lone bid received for the bridge replacements. Below are its bids for each bridge:
- County Road 1100: $264,227
- Township Road 1104: $343,058
- Township Road 2672: $79,761
- Township Road 391: $38,290
Between the four bridges, U.S. Bridge’s bid totaled $725,336 — about $35,000 less than Meixner’s estimate of $760,000.
Road sealing and pavement marking
Each year Ashland County seals about 45 to 55 miles of road. Meixner said the county plans to seal about 42 miles this year.
Three bids were received for the project:
- Small’s Asphalt Paving (Gambier): $361,900
- Melway Paving (Holmesville): $235,000
- Sarver Paving (Ashland): $235,000
Meixner told representatives from Melway and Sarver the county will be back in touch with both contractors.
Either way the county moves forward with awarding the road sealing contract, the pair of $235,000 bids are $33,000 less than Meixner’s estimate of $268,000.
Ashland County annually updates pavement markings, including center and edge lines. The engineer told commissioners he estimates the work will cost $320,000.
Three bids were received for the planned pavement marking updates:
- Oglesby Construction (Norwalk): $282,135
- The Aero-Mark Company (Streetsboro): $284,726
- JD Striping (Ravenna): $278,720
Liquid asphalt
Meixner said the county purchases liquid asphalt annually to assist with its sealing program. Two additional materials, MWS-150 and MWS-300, are also purchased within this contract.
These materials are used to make summer and winter mixes that help level the road by filling in dips, valleys and potholes prior to sealing, the engineer said. He estimated the contract at $766,200.
Asphalt Materials in Edison submitted the lone bid for the contract. Below is a breakdown of its bid:
- Asphalt emulsion: $99,500
- Polymer emulsified asphalt binder: $592,200
- Alternate bid for modified asphalt emulsion: $611,000
