WVDOH accepts bids for Hinton sinkhole repair, other projects

A project to permanently repair a troublesome sinkhole in the town of Hinton is among 29 projects in a bid letting conducted by the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

The repair project will be funded with money from Gov. Jim Justice’s $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program.

In June 2022 a massive sinkhole opened along WV 20 in the town of Hinton, the result of a 90-year-old drainage structure failing.

The drainage structure carried water under WV 20 from Brier Branch, but the old drainage system collapsed, allowing water to wash away dirt and rock from beneath the highway. In a two-day construction blitz in January 2023, WVDOH work crews refilled the hole, installed a temporary drainage pipe and built a temporary bridge to detour around the hole.

The May 9 bid letting includes a project to replace the temporary pipe with a permanent new drainage system to carry Brier Branch under the road and fix the sinkhole for good. “The WVDOH is excited to see the project move to this step,” said Joe Pack, P.E., WVDOH Chief of District Operations.

The May 9 bid letting also includes a project to replace northbound and southbound bridges at the US 19 interchange on Interstate 79 in Lewis County.

Projects included on the May 9 bid letting include:

US 19 interchange bridges. (Lewis County)
Morris Lane Bridge replacement. (Kanawha County)
High Friction Surface Treatment paving, WV 3. (Lincoln County)
Statewide interstate striping.
High Friction Surface Treatment paving, WV 129. (Nicholas County)
Shepherdstown paving. (Jefferson County)
Lafayette Streetscape, US 60. (Greenbrier County)
Dunbar Avenue pedestrian and bicycle facility. (Kanawha County)
Appalachian Corridors road striping.
High Friction Surface Treatment paving, US 50 and US 119. (Taylor County)
High Friction Surface Treatment paving, WV 88, WV 18 and WV 7. (Marshall, Tyler and Wetzel counties)
High Friction Surface Treatment paving, WV 14. (Wirt County)
High Friction Surface Treatment paving, WV 88 and WV 67. (Brooke and Ohio counties)
Grafton Streetscape Phase 3. (Taylor County)
Nutter Fort to Tyler County line paving, WV 18. (Doddridge County)
Mitchell ADA ramps. (Logan County)
Hamlin ADA ramps. (Lincoln County)
Hinton Brier Branch Culvert. (Summers County) (Roads to Prosperity)
Duck Creek Bridge replacement, Interstate 79. (Harrison County)
Willow Island to Belmont Road paving, WV 2. (Pleasants County)
Evitts Creek Bridge replacement. (Jefferson County) (Roads to Prosperity)
New Martinsville bike path. (Wetzel County)
Berkeley Springs park improvements. (Morgan County)
District 5 guardrail replacements. (Grant, Hampshire, Hardy and Mineral counties)
Charleston overhead sign replacements, Interstate 77. (Kanawha County)
Barboursville pedestrian and bicycle path. (Cabell County)
Logan sidewalk improvements. (Logan County)
Farmdale sidewalk extension. (Cabell County)
Red Rock subdivision traffic light installation. (Berkeley County)

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 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.

WVDOH accepts bids for Hinton sinkhole repair, other projects

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