Workers could soon be replacing and rehabilitating existing sewers at five locations in Gainesville.
Strickland & Sons Pipeline of Gainesville was the low bidder for the work at $1,389,975, Gainesville Water Resources officials told the Gainesville City Council Thursday morning.
The city had estimated the construction cost at $1,421,021.
"The total authorized expenditure shall not exceed $1,655,000, including contingency, legal fees, staff time and other project costs," the contract award resolution states.
If city council approves the bid, Marcial Mosqueda, a civil engineer with the city and the project's manager, said work can go forward with the contract award and notice to proceed for Strickland.
"Usually 200 days for one of these projects to complete," Mosqueda said following a city council work session.
Council approved design work on the project last year. The effort targets existing sewers that have reached the end of their life or have inadequacies.
It involves nine sanitary sewers at the five sites, including the busy Browns Bridge/McEver roads intersection area.
"It includes the jack and bore. We're going to be pretty deep down there, 18 feet. Browns Bride Road, it's a pretty important main road there," Mosequeda said.
Jack and bore is a method of horizontal ground drilling that sends a boring machine between two vertical pits. Mosqueda said open trenching will be also be avoided in some spots by using cured-in-place piping or CIPP. The technology essentially restores existing sewer line.
"(The) last 8 years since we started looking at these alternative technologies which are very efficient for areas with heavy traffic and a lot of businesses."
Other work locations include Tommy Aaron Drive and Holly Drive, both in the vicinity of Thompson Bridge Road. Work in the area of Circle, Long Oak and Dixon drive is also included, along with the general area of Mundy Mill Road at Interstate 985.
The city council is scheduled to vote on the contract at its July 18 meeting.
