Two Bids Being Evaluated For 10th Street Widening Project Phase Two

The City of Cookeville is evaluating the two bids opened Thursday for phase two of the 10th Street widening project.

City Manager James Mills said he was very pleased with both of the bids. Phase two carries five lanes from Old Kentucky Road to Fisk Road. Each bid packet is now being evaluated by the city’s engineers and will be submitted to the City Council at their first meeting in November.

“We’re pretty close to what we actually expected the project would cost, and that was estimated two years ago,” Mills said. “Based on trends for the posts we’ve seen over the last couple of years, we’re pretty surprised that it’s going to be fairly close to what we actually anticipated it was going to be.”

The construction start date will be negotiated once the council chooses the winning bidder. Mills said utility work will begin first, including the installation of new high-end electric poles and traffic lights on the north side of the street. That work could start in the next several weeks.

“We are excited to be at this point,” Mills said. “We’re hopeful that in the next couple of months, we’ll see some actual construction happening on phase two.”

Mills said the need for widening has been a priority for the city for over 20 years. 10th Street has been rated as a level “F” on numerous traffic flow studies, so the widening of the current three-lane cross-section was due for expansion.

When the City Council selects a winning bid in early November, Mills asks for patience from the community throughout the construction process.

“We know it’s going to be a headache for the length of the project,” said Mills. “Growth sometimes is difficult. But for those that use 10th Street and, in particular, those that live in the area, please be patient with us.”