CHARLESTON, WV – On Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, Gov. Jim Justice and the West Virginia Division of Highways announced a contract to build an important connector road between the Trace Fork Shopping Center and Jefferson Road in Kanawha County to alleviate traffic congestion on Jefferson Road and Corridor G.
The project ties in with an ongoing project to widen Jefferson Road to improve traffic flow into and out of Corridor G's shopping centers.
Triton Construction, Inc. was awarded the contract to build the RHL Boulevard connector road, with a bid of $10,942,950. The project will build a roughly half-mile connector road between RHL Boulevard near the South Charleston Memorial Ice Arena and Jefferson Road, and includes a 420-foot bridge. The connector road is being built in conjunction with the ongoing widening project on Jefferson Road.
The project, from a bid letting held Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021, will be paid for with funding from Justice’s $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity highway construction and maintenance program.
When completed, the project will work with the Jefferson Road Project, already in progress, and the Oakwood Intersection Improvement Project, to ease congestion on Corridor G and Jefferson Road and improve safety for citizens traveling through the busy area.
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.com and 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.