Gypsum Town Council approves $5 million contract for new roundabout on Highway 6
The job came in $1.5 million more expensive than expected
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily
The Gypsum Town Council Tuesday agreed to a $5 million contract to build a roundabout at the intersection of U.S. Highway 6 and Valley Road.
While the four bids opened April 11 all came in higher than initial estimates, town engineer Matt Figgs Tuesday told the council that all those bids came in relatively close in price. That, Figgs said, led him and the team to believe that the prices being bid were “the right price for this project.”
In all, the town’s initial estimate fell about $1.5 million short of the bid price. But, Figgs said, from a safety and transportation perspective, getting the work done, and done this year, is “vitally important.”
With that, Figgs recommended:
• Using $350,000 from the town’s capital improvements contingency budget.
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• Using $400,000 from the punch list funds from the Interstate 70 north roundabout.
• Using $250,000 in construction funds from another project on Valley Road, completing only design and survey work only.
• Reducing the first segment of a Highway 6 design project, which wasn’t scheduled until late this year. That saves $250,000.
Changing or reducing the scope of the roundabout project could save another $250,000. But council members could find funds from other sources.
One of the changes could be a “splash block” element currently in place at the roundabout at Highway 6 and Schoolside Street. Figgs said that wouldn’t affect safety at the new roundabout, although some council members said they’d like to maintain visual consistency at the new roundabout.
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Council member Chris Huffman asked if the splash block could be added later. But, he noted, it would be hard to get an exact match.
Council member Tom Edwards noted the intersection’s prominent location in town, with fellow member Bill Baxter adding the element later would cost more than including it in this year’s construction.
Council member Scott Green said he was pleased to see 360 Civil as the low bidder, noting that the firm is a local company with years of experience in the valley.
This year’s construction is slated to take place over the summer school break, beginning on the last day of the current school year, June 5, with the project slated to open to traffic on Aug. 18, the first day of the new school year.
