Mat-Su Assembly weighs $526,649 contract to replace Willow's Tuxedo Avenue bridge

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly will consider a $526,649 contract Tuesday, Nov. 17, to replace the single-lane Tuxedo Avenue bridge over Gene Creek in Willow. Borough administration recommends awarding the work to Meier Excavation LLC. The meeting starts at 6 pm in Palmer.

The project would replace the small bridge with an aluminum box culvert built to carry two lanes of traffic. Crews would also rebuild about 350 feet of the approaches on Tuxedo Avenue. The site is near Milepost 69.5 of the George Parks Highway, in Assembly District 7.

The borough asked for bids Oct. 9. Meier submitted the lowest of four, according to the borough's action memorandum on the award. Caliber Construction Alaska bid $641,750, Ahtna Construction Primary bid about $822,000 and Granite Construction Company bid about $854,000. The borough had estimated the project would cost $500,000 to $700,000. Funding would come from road service area capital project funds.

Before the award, the low bidder must show experience on similar work: at least two bridge replacement or bridge construction projects completed in the past 10 years, if the borough asks.

Substantial completion is due Sept. 15, 2027, and final completion July 31, 2028. "Time is of the essence," the scope of work states. The administration also asks for authority to push the completion date back 90 days for unforeseen circumstances.

Work would include clearing the site, diverting and dewatering the stream, removing the old structure, installing the culvert and stabilizing the stream. The borough has already secured Alaska Department of Fish and Game fish passage permits and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits for discharge along Gene Creek. The contractor must also get a Fish and Game aquatic resource permit before construction begins.

The contractor must name a point of contact for public questions within seven days of the award. That person's information will appear on construction notices sent to residents in the project area, and the contact must be reachable during business hours. Normal work hours would run from 7 am to 7 pm, and construction vehicles would be limited to 20 mph inside the project limits.

A separate ordinance, introduced at the assembly's Oct. 20 meeting, would extend the deadline to spend the project's funding from June 30, 2027, to Oct. 30, 2028.