WVDOH awards 21 projects, including some in Lewis, Tucker and Harrison counties

News Release
June 26, 2021

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A project to improve handicapped access along 35th and 36th streets in Kanawha City is among 21 construction contracts awarded by the West Virginia Division of Highways in June.

The project is one of several construction projects to upgrade MacCorkle Avenue throughout Kanawha City.

DOH had previously awarded a $570,000 contract to install 105 curb cuts along MacCorkle Avenue from 35th Street to 58th Street. On Tuesday, June 22, 2021, Wolf Creek Contracting Company, Inc. was awarded a $182,468 contract to install additional ADA curb cuts on several intersections along 35th Street and 36th Street, which are major access points into and out of Kanawha City.

Deputy State Highway Engineer Ryland Musick said the project is part of an ongoing plan to upgrade MacCorkle Avenue in Kanawha City that also includes repaving and drainage work.

“These ADA projects will greatly improve access along MacCorkle Avenue and around the area,” Musick said. “We’re not leaving out the side streets.”

Several other ADA access projects around the state were also awarded in June.

WVDOH continues to hold bid lettings and contract awards remotely to move projects forward while protecting the public from COVID-19. The projects awarded were:

Ohio-West Virginia Excavating Company was low bidder for a project adding ADA access to Pennsylvania Avenue in Hancock County. Low bid was $809,000.
Jim Construction, Inc. was low bidder on an ADA access project in Weston and Jane Lew in Lewis County. Low bid was $209,964.
Bear Contracting LLC was low bidder on a resurfacing project from Parsons to Wolf Run in Tucker County, with a bid of $592,400.85.
Wolf Creek Contracting Company LLC was low bidder on an ADA access project in Marion County, with a bid of $1,281,978.
Specialty Groups Inc. was low bidder on a traffic signal project in Mineral Wells in Wood County, with a bid of $268,743.20.
Kelly Paving, Inc. was low bidder for a paving and drainage project on Waverly-Willow Island Road in Pleasants County, with a bid of $2,632,362.03.
Jim Construction, Inc. was low bidder on an ADA access project on Sissonville Drive in Kanawha County, with a bid of $235,978.
Bear Contracting, LLC was low bidder on paving and drainage project on Spring Creek Road in Roane County, with a bid of $507,763.63.
SMH Construction Company, Inc. was also low bidder on a project replacing the deck on the West Virginia State Police Sgt. Harold E. Dailey Bridge in Kanawha County, with a bid of $819,952.51.
Green Acres Contracting Company, Inc. was low bidder on a guardrail replacement project in District 8, with a bid of $273,777.
Green Acres Contracting Company, Inc., was also low bidder on a statewide project to install raised pavement markers, with a bid of $714,434.
Ohio-West Virginia Excavating Company was low bidder on a sidewalk improvement project in Beech Bottom in Brooke County, with a bid of $134,280.
Mountaineer Contractors Inc. was low bidder on a resurfacing project at the northbound and southbound Interstate 79 rest areas in Harrison County, with a bid of $943,243.
Kelly Paving, Inc. was low bidder on a resurfacing and guardrail project from the Jackson County Line to Rockport in Wood County, with a bid of $2,510,212.85.
Rock Fork Bridge Company, LLC was low bidder on a piling wall project on Gore Road in Harrison County, with a bid of $248,569.60.
Strawser Construction, Inc. was low bidder on a centerline preservation project on US 119 in Boone County, with a bid of $189,879.86.
Kelly Paving, Inc. was low bidder on resurfacing project from Parkersburg to Dry run in Wood County, with a bid of $1,128,183.25.
Mendon Pipeline, Inc. was low bidder on a sewage and plumbing project at the Interstate 68 Welcome Center in Preston County, with a bid of $1,693,884.25.
Marks Drilling was low bidder on a slip repair project on Berea Hill in Ritchie County, with a bid of $298,310.79.
One contract was also awarded from a special bid letting held remotely on June 16, 2021. S&E Clearing & Hydroseeding was low bidder on a project to remove storm debris in northern Wayne County, with a bid of $396,100.

Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer’s Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer’s Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources and whether or not sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.

When the Division of Highways has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.com and handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.

As the date and time approaches for the deadline of the letting, contractors are expected to place their bids, with complete documentation as necessary. Shortly after the letting, the respective bids are reviewed. All bids are evaluated thoroughly for competitiveness and deemed acceptable through guidelines as approved by policy, reviewed and approved by the FHWA. Award of the contracts is made based on recommendation by our Awards Committee based on the results that evaluation and approval by the Commissioner. Projects are typically awarded to the lowest bidder which has all proper documentation in place.