Boulevard Contract Awarded $12.7-million, Roadway Raising May Take Six Years

CREST HAVEN – To raise Sea Isle City Boulevard (County Road 625) 4.5 feet, Cape May County sought bids. Lowest of three bids was $12.7 million, about $3.7 million more than had been hoped and granted, but the clock’s ticking. Approximately $9.05 million in federal funds for the project must be “drawn down” by June 30 or they would be lost.
That $3.7 million is the county’s responsibility, said County Engineer Dale Foster. “However, the county is seeking additional federal funds to help reduce the county’s contribution,” Foster told the Herald.
At the May 13 freeholders’ meeting, three members in attendance, Director Gerald Thornton, Vice Director (and Sea Isle City mayor) Leonard Desiderio and Will Morey voted to award the construction contract to South State Inc. of Bridgeton because it was the “lowest responsible bid.”
Foster told the board, “We are up against the deadline for federal funds.” He noted it would be “critical to award” the contract at the meeting.
The county’s authorization came in 2011, he said. While a degree of inflation was allowed since then, the low bid was still above what had been projected for the work, he said.
Foster said he is in negotiations for construction services inspection for the six-year project. “It could go that long depending on the rate of settlement,” he added. That means the fill that will be placed must be allowed to settle, perhaps for a year, before further work can be done.
Foster told the board he had hoped for more bidders, but acknowledged that two of the bidders, South State and R.E. Pierson “both have facilities within a couple of miles of the project.” He noted that may have “scared away the competition because everybody knew they would be low.”
That proximity to gravel pits and other facilities was deemed as helpful to the project.
Foster also cited that about 5 percent of the project had to be awarded to an “emerging small enterprise” because federal funding was involved.
He noted that South State’s documentation “appears to have 9 percent participating for guide rails farmed out to a small, emerging business enterprise.” Foster said “with federal aid it is more difficult to provide documentation that the feds are requiring. A pre-construction meeting with the contractor was tentatively set for May 28.
Bay Avenue, Ocean City
The county’s Bay Avenue project, between Sixth and 18th streets has “received a lot of press,” Foster said. “People don’t understand the county is reconstructing Bay Avenue.” He said businesses that have been impacted by construction activity are most vocal, but not all the blame should be placed on the county.
“There have been five different contractors in the area,” Foster said. The county’s portion of the work reached 12th Street “this past week.” From 12th to Ninth streets, The county was not part of the issue, “but everyone says ‘It’s a county project,’” Foster said.
“As it stands, paving and everything will be done north of 12th Street to 18th by June 20. All equipment and material from the county will be removed from that site, and we will be back in late September to do Sixth to 11th streets at the very end,” Foster said. “That is our goal and we are sticking to it.”
He added that the project “encountered a lot of utility conflicts and pipes. Once we pave between 12th and 18th people will see it’s worth the effort.”
Townsend’s Inlet Bridge
Scheduled to reopen May 15, the bridge linking Sea Isle City and Avalon encountered still more setbacks when deteriorated girders were discovered. New walkways and railings have been placed, Foster reported.
“It’s amazing; on the Townsend’s Inlet Bridge we spent roughly $5 million working on one span on that bridge. The cost of doing work on a moveable bridge involved a lot of work. There are only so many trades that can work at one time, but it will open come Thursday,” Foster said.
Garden State Parkway
Crest Haven Road, closed since March and a route used by many accessing the Crest Haven Complex, was supposed to reopen May 15, but was pushed back until May 22. The reason it was closed was to allow road widening on the south side because of the County Park East driveway and proximity to the Garden State Parkway overpass. As part of the road configuration, a lane had to be added on that south side, Foster said.
There will be a traffic signal at the bottom of the ramp to provide additional room for a turn land south on the parkway or north on Moore Road.