State reopens bidding for Seward Highway test drilling after the first round was rejected

The state is trying again to get two miles of the Seward Highway drilled. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is taking sealed bids, due before 2 p.m. Friday, for a state-funded contract to drill test holes between mileposts 58 and 60, work estimated at $200,000 to $500,000.

The notice is a rebid; an earlier solicitation for the same work did not produce a contract, and it does not say why. Bids on that round opened May 14; the department's award record lists the outcome as "Bids Rejected."

The contract calls for about 13 on-road test holes to 30 feet, plus three shallower test pits, under an engineering geologist's supervision, with a completion date of December 31, 2027. "Drilling work is in support of gathering geotechnical design data," the invitation to bid says. The department's records place the work near Silvertip and say the data supports retaining wall replacement for the Seward Highway Safety Improvements 2025 project.