Work to repair the roadway slide on Lower Bottom Road in Cole County is nearly complete, and on Tuesday afternoon county public works officials announced the road was reopened for traffic.
Repair work began last month on the road, which had been closed since last July, when heavy rain and storms weakened the soil under the road, causing it to slide down the fill slope.
As a result of the storm damage in the county, FEMA issued a disaster declaration that allowed the county to become eligible for damage repair reimbursement.
In January, the Cole County Commission formally awarded Twehous Excavating the contract to make the repairs.
The commission gave initial approval for Twehous to get the job after 10 construction firms submitted bids ranging from $250,000-$355,000. Earlier estimates had the work costing between $400,000-$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 submissions. That information included having an experienced project manager designated to the project, a list of similar projects 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 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, and Twehous met all those qualifications.