[Previous entry: "Graduation takes place in Crofton"] [Next entry: "Developers working to complete purchase of Devils Nest; create new project"]

05/13/2007: "Bid awarded for construction of new Missouri River bridge at Yankton"

The apparent low bid submitted Wednesday for the new Yankton bridge came in well below the project’s estimated $30 million cost.
However, it was noted that not all the cost estimates are taken up in the construction bid, and costs could rise toward the estimate as the process moves toward construction.
Jensen Construction Company of Des Moines, Iowa, put forth a $23.9 million bid for the project. Two other bids were submitted for the project: Cramer and Associates, Inc., also of Des Moines, put forth a $25.2 million bid; and United Contractors, Inc., of Johnston, Iowa, put forth a $25.3 million bid.
Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) officials who were at the special bid-letting for the Yankton bridge Wednesday, May 2, were visibly happy with the bid result. “These are acceptable bids,” said John Baker, an engineer in the NDOR's roadway design division who put together the bridge project package.

Jensen Construction was the company that built the Newcastle-Vermillion bridge spanning the Missouri River downriver from Yankton.
The bid will not be finalized until the NDOR has an opportunity to get approval from the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration, as well as complete additional paperwork with Jensen Construction. The bridge, which is a joint NDOR/SDDOT project, is scheduled for completion in winter 2009.
Environmental concerns, such as endangered species and migratory birds, have been, and will continue to be, a major focus as the bridge project moves forward, noted Baker.
In news related to the new bridge, it was announced that the name would not include “Yankton.” Jim Black, chairman of the Building Yankton's Bridge Committee (BYBC), said the organization has decided to name the new structure the “Discovery Bridge.”
He said the BYBC made the decision to eliminate "Yankton" in recent weeks after it raised the ire of some residents who felt it didn't acknowledge Nebraska and its contributions to the bridge project.
Even though construction is expected to begin on the bridge in June, the BYBC has tentatively scheduled a groundbreaking event for the project at 10:30 am on July 4 at the south end of Broadway. Black said a ribbon-cutting for the project, once it is complete, will be held on the Nebraska side of the bridge.