West Virginia Department of Transportation

17/07/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 18/07/2024 18:58

WVDOT accepts bids for Rand drainage project

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CHARLESTON, WV - A project to rebuild the storm sewer system in the Kanawha County town of Rand is among 30 construction projects included in a bid letting conducted by the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.

The bid letting also includes several paving and bridge rehabilitation projects.

"This is the first of several projects that will deal with some major drainage issues in the town of Rand," said Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston, P.E. "Once this is complete if should alleviate a lot of concerns for the citizens of Rand."

In October 2022, WVDOT engineers agreed to step in to help residents of the unincorporated town correct massive drainage problems that had developed over the years. Doug Kirk, P.E., WVDOT Chief Engineer of Environmental Compliance, said that when the community of Rand was first developed more than 100 years ago, storm sewers and sanitary sewers ran together. At some point the sanitary sewers were separated, but no one really kept track of the storm sewers, which fell into disrepair.

The WVDOT plans to use its resources to rebuild Rand's storm sewer system and run new storm sewer lines to the Kanawha River, alleviating the town's flooding problems. Flooding in the town impacts transportation infrastructure along with everything else.

"Where Rand isn't incorporated, there's no municipal entity to step in and perform the work now," said Jason Foster, WVDOT Chief Engineer of Development. "The community of Rand needs assistance. We have avenues for funding, so we're trying to use that in the best interests of the citizens of Rand."

Fixing the storm sewers also helps the WVDOT and the driving public. The streets that commonly flood in Rand are owned and maintained by the WVDOT, so fixing the storm sewers will mean less road and street maintenance in the long run.

Wriston said the WVDOT vigorously pursued federal grant funding to help pay for the drainage repairs.

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Projects in the July 16 bid letting include:
  • Garretts Fork Road paving, Lake to Isom. (Logan County)
  • WV 94 paving, Boone County line to Hernshaw. (Kanawha County)
  • Parrs Camp Bridge replacement. (Marshall County)
  • Deputy Sheriff Jonathan Janey Memorial Bridge rehabilitation. (Putnam County)
  • US 119 paving, US 52 to Bank of Mingo. (Mingo County)
  • District 7 guardrails. (Barbour, Braxton, Gilmer, Lewis, Upshur, and Webster counties)
  • Dunkard Avenue sidewalks, Morgantown. (Monongalia County)
  • District 5 guardrails. (Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, and Morgan counties)
  • US 11 extension. (Berkeley County)
  • US 119/Corridor G signage. (Boone, Kanawha, and Lincoln counties)
  • US 50 and South Virginia Avenue traffic signal. (Harrison County)
  • US 119 Parkway Road-Davis Creek interchange lighting. (Kanawha County)
  • Walnut Street streetscape, Morgantown. (Monongalia County)
  • Green Beret Sgt. Jackie Waymire Bridge cleaning and painting. (Cabell County)
  • North Queen Street, Martinsburg. (Berkeley County)
  • Shelton Topping Bridge renovation. (Lincoln County)
  • Trooper First Class James Thomas Brammer Memorial Bridge renovation. (Preston County)
  • Augustine Avenue paving, Charles Town. (Jefferson County)
  • Aster C. Adkins Memorial Bridge deck renovation. (Lincoln County)
  • I-79 Frametown-Herold Road Overpass Bridge rehabilitation. (Kanawha County)
  • I-77 Belle Ramp over Piedmont Road and railroad renovation and paving. (Kanawha County)
  • WV 230, WV 480, and Flowing Springs Road high friction surface treatment. (Jefferson County)
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge high friction surface treatment. (Mercer County)
  • Hico Bridge replacement. (Fayette County)
  • Third Bridge, North Fork Cherry River replacement. (Greenbrier County)
  • Andrew Scott Memorial Bridge replacement. (Mercer County)
  • District 2 guardrails. (Cabell, Lincoln, Logan, Mingo, and Wayne counties)
  • I-79 US Army SFC Guy R. Hively Memorial Bridges rehabilitation. (Kanawha County)
  • Rand drainage. (Kanawha County)

Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer's Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer's Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources, and whether sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed, and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.

When the Division of Highways has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.comand handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.