Pedestrian bridge bid comes in over budget

The Alabama Department of Transportation will have to decide how to handle a project to build a pedestrian bridge over U.S. 31 after the lone bid came in over budget.

Vestavia Hills City Manager Jeff Downes said after 10 contractors came to a pre-bid meeting in February, only one, Taylor Miree Construction, actually submitted a bid to ALDOT.

The construction portion of the bid came in at $3.6 million, Downes said, up a little more than $1 million from the city’s anticipated cost of $2.5 million for the construction of the bridge, which would connect the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest to Wald Park.

The stated reason for the increase in cost was the “unique design component” of the bridge, Downes said.

The bridge is a single-beam bridge span, meaning there is no designed support structure in the middle of the bridge.

“It’s unique,” Downes said.

With its unique design comes concerns of being able to find the right material to build such a bridge and concerns over an ability to get it done in a “timely manner,” Downes said.

ALDOT controls the bidding process and must approve the project. The agency also is funding 80% of the project, meaning if the $3.6 million bid were approved, the city would be responsible for roughly $750,000 of the cost, Downes said.

So ALDOT is hitting pause to consider whether to redesign the project, which has been in the works for more than a decade, or to try to revise the bid from Taylor Miree. “This just represents another challenge in moving this project ahead, but it by no means means the project is dead,” Downes said.

It’s possible the state could call for there to be a support structure in the middle of U.S. 31, which would mean the project would be rebid with an alternative design, or the state might try to find some value engineering, ways to save money, from the existing bid, Downes said.

Blair Perry with Gresham Smith, the design firm overseeing the project, previously said the bridge’s aesthetic design will match the stone look of both the library and City Hall. No landscaping will be performed as part of the project, but the city will add landscaping later as part of the improvements at Wald Park. The railing will include LED lighting, and Perry said architects are working on adding city-related signage.

Police Chief Dan Rary previously said the bridge’s design will not allow for people to throw anything off or fall off the bridge.

The bridge is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Perry said, following some redesign mandated by ALDOT to make it more friendly for those with physical disabilities.

The main idea is to make it easier and safer to cross U.S. 31, improve access to the library and Wald Park and link to existing city sidewalks. The bridge would also provide walking access to the civic center and Vestavia Hills Elementary West.

Downes said he does not know when ALDOT may make a decision but said he’s a “positive person” and is optimistic the project will be completed. “We’ll get there.”