The Cole County Commission formally awarded Twehous Excavating the contract to make repairs to Lower Bottom Road at its Tuesday meeting.
Last month, the commission gave initial approval for Twehous to get the job after 10 construction firms submitted bids ranging from $250,000 to $355,000. Earlier estimates had the work costing between $400,000 to $500,000.
Twehous was the fourth lowest bidder on the project at $282,631.
The bid was accepted because the company submitted all the information required at the time of the bid submissions. That information included having an experienced project manager designated to the project, a list of similar projects to this one that the company has done in the past, and a list of references.
The difference in cost is $32,000, up from the $250,177 low bid from CL Richardson Construction of Ashland.
In July, the County Commission awarded a $48,700 contract to Gredell Engineering Resources Inc. to investigate the geotechnical elements below the approximately 200-by-250-square-foot area of the road that was affected. The contract included completing design for repairs, which will be finished by the county if feasible or contracted out if more substantial.
Concerned a non-qualified company could be awarded the contract, Gredell officials suggested having bidders submit a list of qualifications with their bids.
On July 6, the Public Works Department announced part of Lower Bottom Road was closed due to a road slide, affecting addresses from 11923 to 12217. The road runs off Route B near the Osage River.
FEMA funds could pay for 75 percent of that amount, and the county would have to pay the remaining 25 percent.
Work could start in February or March, and the project must be completed by May 31.
Public works officials said they want to stabilize the road , which would mean using limestone. The best limestone is hard to find south of the Osage River, which means possibly trucking in the material if they can't find enough to work with in the area nearby the road.
Since the road was damaged, public works officials have stabilized the road to allow farm equipment to get through for harvesting, but the road is starting to get back to the shape it was back in the summer.