Blagg Road improvement bid rejected

There are hundreds of miles of asphalt roads in Nye County, many of which are in need of some attention and repair while others are in need of entire rebuilds, and this is something that the county’s public works department is constantly working toward.

However, road improvement projects are pricey and the cost associated with major upgrades means that the county can only tackle so many at one time. Right now, a portion of Blagg Road on the northern end of town is at the top of the priority list and the county was hoping to be able to move forward with the project in the not-too-distant future, but after receiving one single bid in response to its solicitation, the county has been forced to put that project on hold, as the estimate provided by Wulfenstein Construction Company was almost double the allocated budget.

The Nye County Commission addressed the potential awarding of the Blagg Road overlay and widening construction contract at its Tuesday, Oct. 19 meeting, at which Nye County Public Works Assistant Director Tom Bolling explained that it was his department’s belief that the sole bid received should not be accepted.

“It is our opinion and what we would like you to do is reject this bid,” Bolling told commissioners that afternoon. “Our original budget for this was $640,000 and as you can see, it is way above that.”

As detailed in the back-up information for the agenda item, Wulfenstein Construction had submitted a bid outlining a cost of $1,174,663. That is a full $534,663 over the allotted project budget. “It’s just way too far above the budget, we have to turn around and find another way to do this,” Bolling stated.

Commissioners seemed to take Bolling’s suggestion without hesitation and there was no discussion on the matter. Commissioner Leo Blundo immediately made the motion to reject the bid while simultaneously directing staff to rework with scope of the project so that it does not exceed the stated budget of $640,000.

Commissioners Bruce Jabbour and Frank Carbone both offered seconds on the motion, which then passed unanimously.

The Blagg Road overlay and widening project was set to target a roughly one-mile section of the roadway between the intersections of Simkins Road and Harris Farm Road, which fronts Rosemary Clarke Middle School. It included excavation of the street followed by the installation of a new road base and new asphalt, and widening of the roadway. Now, however, the project must be rethought. Once the scope of the project has been altered to conform with the $640,000 budget, the county will go back out to bid, after which commissioners will have the opportunity to address the construction contract again.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com