CHARLESTON, WV – On Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021, Gov. Jim Justice and the West Virginia Division of Highways announced a contract for $7,166,000 to rehabilitate the historic Capon Bridge in Hampshire County.
It was one of eight bridge construction, replacement or rehabilitation projects awarded from a bid letting held Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021.
Triton Construction Inc. was the lowest of three bidders for the project, which will renovate the span. The bridge carries US 50 over the Cacapon River in Capon Bridge.
The steel truss bridge was built in 1933 on the site of a former covered bridge, and is considered a historic site in its own right.
Renamed the US Army Corporal Rex Marcel Sherman Memorial Bridge, after an Army veteran who lost his life in the Vietnam War, the bridge still carries an average of 6,200 cars a day. However, the bridge is subject to weight restrictions, and trucks and buses must cross one at a time.
Renovating the bridge will allow the weight restrictions to be removed and the bridge to return to normal service.
Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer’s Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer’s Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources and whether or not sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.
When the Division of Highways has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.comand handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.
As the date and time approaches for the deadline of the letting, contractors are expected to place their bids, with complete documentation as necessary. Shortly after the letting, the respective bids are reviewed. All bids are evaluated thoroughly for competitiveness and deemed acceptable through guidelines as approved by policy, reviewed and approved by the FHWA. Award of the contracts is made based on recommendation by our Awards Committee based on the results that evaluation and approval by the Commissioner. Projects are typically awarded to the lowest bidder that has all proper documentation in place.
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