Kneehill County council awarded a road work project and approved the allocation of an additional $180,000 to complete work on two roads in the heart of the municipality during its regular Tuesday, July 25 council meeting.
Additional repairs, which had not been included in the initial budget, were discovered during the design phase of the project, and these repairs along with the original seal coat work were tendered; at the time of the tender closing, a total of two compliant bids were received.
“In the 2023 budget, council had approved the single graded aggregate seal coat application for… Range Road 240, as well as the airport road, which is Range Road 234,” explained Infrastructure director Mike Ziehr during the meeting.
The lowest bid of $346,000 included work for both the pre-treatment repairs required, as well as the chip seal application and mobilization of the contractor to the site. However, the bid came in over the previously approved budget amount of $220,000, and it was recommended to council to approve a reallocation of $180,000 from the Capital Road Reserves to allow the project to move forward.
Mr. Ziehr noted this type of road work is typically scheduled every seven years, and labour and material rates have increased exponentially since the project was first approved; this will result in the department increasing its budgets as it looks towards future years.
Council approved the transfer of funds and awarded the project in the amount of $346,000.
