Baxter Approves Bids For Work On Fast Lane

City of Baxter approved a $219,000 bid for work on Fast Lane at its Thursday night meeting.

This after working to reduce the cost from its original $546,000 bid. City Engineer Tom Bennett said the work will consist of signage, striping, and fixing the subgrade, which is the biggest priority.

“Fixing the subgrade is going to create a permanent solution,” Bennett said. “The finished paving that you would do over the top of this road is always temporary, it’s never permanent, and that will always have to be done some time again in the future. The best case long-term would be concrete, but it’s just not practical right now.”

The project will stretch from Taco Bell to the cul-de-sac. Bennett said after reducing costs, work will not include a complete replacement of the subgrade, but remediation of 11 areas where the subgrade has failed.

Bennett said one of the major concerns for the project is traffic. He said much of the bid includes costs for traffic control due to the heavy amount of truck traffic on the road.

“It’s a tough time to bid a job like this on top of the fact that it’s a really tough scope of work for a contractor to accomplish,” Bennett said.

Bennett said the contract stipulates the work must be complete within 60 days of receiving notice.