Price tag jumps to $7.5 million for Roop Street widening project

Carson City may delay widening Roop Street this summer after contractors submitted bids starting at $7.5 million - $2.5 million more than expected - for the project, officials said Tuesday.

Transportation commissioners will decide today whether to pay the increased price or wait several months to rebid the project.

"We're going to recommend the (Regional Transportation Commission) not award the project and look at how to modify or repackage it a little bit, to see if we can get the price down," said Andy Burnham, city Development Services director. "It's too expensive for us right now."

The delay would ease some of the traffic problems commuters face this summer. The city expected to close portions of Roop Street to traffic beginning July 1. At the same time the Nevada Department of Transportation will begin major resurfacing and improvement projects on Stewart Street, Highway 50 East and Highway 395.

The city's contracted engineering company, Capital Engineering, estimated the project would cost $5 million. But bids received from Granite Construction and A&K Earthmovers ranged from $7.5 million to more than $8.5 million.

High construction prices might be a result of the area's busy road construction season, Burnham said.

"We think with the construction industry right now in the Northern Nevada region, they're having a hard time keeping up with all the work," Burnham said. "There's just a lot of work out there so they're not that hungry. We might see better bids in the fall and winter."

The city's plan is to widen Roop Street to five lanes from Washington Street to Beverly Drive and four lanes from Beverly Drive to Winnie Lane near Lone Mountain Cemetery. An average of 19,400 cars drive that stretch of road each day, officials estimate.

The project will require the road to be closed to traffic. According to plans decided in March, sections of Roop will close to traffic for more than two months while workers remove roadway and underground utilities.

The section between Beverly Drive and Winnie Lane is expected to cause the most traffic problems, as cars will be detoured to already overloaded intersections on Carson Street.

Contact Jill Lufrano at jlufrano@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.