By Gary Lloyd
The Alabama Department of Transportation on Friday opened bids for the first phase of construction of the Northern Beltline near Pinson.
The apparent low bidder for the 1.3-mile segment was Wright Brothers Construction Co. Inc. of Charleston, Tenn., which came in with a bid of $45,999,999.69. The other bids were received from Jones Brothers Inc. of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., with a bid of $73,506,447.52, and Vecellio and Grogan Inc. of Beckley, W.V., with a bid of $75,482,857.32.
Spokeswoman Linda Crockett said that ALDOT has begin its customary bid review process, which includes a review by the Federal Highway Administration. This procedure typically takes about 30 days before a decision is made on awarding a contract, Crockett said.
ALDOT’s estimate for the first phase was between $44 million and $54 million.
The first 1.3 miles of the 52-mile interstate will connect Alabama Highway 75 and Alabama Highway 79 near Pinson.
The entire corridor is estimated to cost about $5.45 billion and take 30 to 35 years to complete. It will link Interstate 459 in Bessemer with Interstate 59 just north of Trussville.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.