The Pulaski County Commissioners this week signed a revised contract for the inspection of the Monterey Bridge. Jeff Larrison of United Consulting told the commissioners this week that the original construction cost estimate came in at around $1.55 million, but the bids came in lower than expected, prompting a new revision to the inspection contract with a lower price.
Larrison said that INDOT is funding 80 percent of the project, leaving the county responsible for the remaining 20 percent. On top of that, INDOT has a maximum cap on the amount of money that can be used for inspection costs, allowing no more than 12.5 percent of the total construction cost to go toward inspections.
As a result, Larrison presented the revised contract for $157,220 for inspection work, as opposed to the older contract which cited $194,000 as the cost. The contract follows the standard INDOT contract and is the same in every other aspect, Larrison explained; it just has a smaller number for the expense.
The commissioners unanimously approved a motion to sign the revised contract. Larrison said the estimated start date, according to estimates from LaPorte Construction, is March 4, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 8. The existing Monterey Bridge will be open during the construction of the new bridge.
