Lowest Sutliff Bridge bid comes in under estimate

The lowest bid on the Sutliff Bridge renovation project was well under the estimated budget, thanks mostly to lower steel prices, Johnson County officials said Tuesday.

Of the six bids received for the renovation and reconstruction project, Iowa Bridge & Culvert out of Washington, Iowa, was the low bidder at just less than $1.6 million. The original estimate was more than $2 million to replace the damaged portion of the bridge and bring it up to code.

The other bids on the project ranged from $1.6 million to $2.3 million.

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors discussed the bids at a meeting Tuesday morning, and forwarded the low bid for final approval at next week's board meeting. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will cover the reconstruction costs for the historic bridge, partially destroyed in the 2008 flood.

Construction is expected to start this spring, with completion set for next fall, supervisors said.

Total cost on the project likely will be about $2 million, with added costs for engineering and design fees, officials said. FEMA has said it will cover cost overruns on the project, as long as they are deemed important, Supervisors Chairman Pat Harney said.

The bridge spanned the Cedar River in northeast Johnson County before one-third of it was swept away in the flood of 2008. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The repaired bridge is to look similar to what existed before the flood.