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A project to rehabilitate two municipal bridges in downtown Charleston is among 12 construction projects awarded by the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) on Tuesday, August 26, 2025. The contracts were awarded from a bid letting conducted on Tuesday, August 12, 2025.
Freyssinet Inc. was awarded a contract for $3,679,110.50 to rehabilitate the bridges on Quarrier Street and Virginia Street over the Elk River in Charleston. Funding for the project was provided by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), part of which allowed the WVDOH to pay for bridge projects on city and other off-system bridges around the state.
The WVDOH also awarded a contract for $3,278,600.60 to Specialty Groups Inc. to upgrade 10 traffic lights along Corridor G (US 119) in the southern part of the state.
Contracts on the August 12 letting were:
- Thaxton Construction Company Inc. of Sissonville was the low bidder on a project to install piling walls on Third Run Road, with a bid of $644,874. (Gilmer County)
- Bear Contracting LLC was the low bidder on a paving project on WV 10 from Branchland to Family Dollar, with a bid of $2,875,289.38. (Lincoln County)
- Bear Contracting LLC was also the low bidder on a paving project on Eighth Avenue and Fifth Street in Huntington, with a bid of $584,506,57. (Cabell County)
- Freyssinet Inc. was the low bidder on a contract to rehabilitate the Quarrier Street and Virginia Street bridges in Charleston, with a bid of $3,679,110.50. (Kanawha County)
- IVS Hydro Inc. was the low bidder on a deck overlay, cleaning, and sealing project on the Durgon Store Bridge, with a bid of $276,457.25. (Hardy County)
- Perk Company Inc. was the low bidder on a deck overlay and expansion joint replacement project on the War Bridge, with a bid of $186,563.42. (McDowell County)
- GeoStablization International LLC was the low bidder on a slip repair project on Ingleside Road, with a bid of $1,554,686. (Mercer County)
- Specialty Groups Inc. was the low bidder on a project to upgrade traffic lights on Corridor G, with a bid of $3,278,600.60. (Boone, Lincoln, Logan, and Mingo counties)
- IVS Hydro Inc. was the low bidder on a deck overly project on the Sgt. Robert Dewey Thompson Memorial Bridge, with a bid of $493,162.23. (Randolph County)
- IVS Hydro Inc. was also the low bidder on a deck overlay project on the CSA Captain John Hanson McNeill Memorial Bridge, with a bid of $467,467.90. (Hardy County)
- IVS Hydro Inc. was also the low bidder on a deck overlay, cleaning, and sealing project on the USAF Airman First Class Wilbur Lee Clayton Memorial Bridge, with a bid of $2,498,490.50. (Hardy County)
- Elite Contractors Inc. was the low bidder on a cleaning and painting project on the Race Track Bridge, with a bid of $986,219.75. (Raleigh County)
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 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.
