Millerdale bridge replacement gets $2 million contract, with detour ahead

WENATCHEE — Replacement of the Millerdale Avenue bridge over the irrigation canal is expected to begin before mid-November, bringing a lengthy detour for nearby residents as crews remove the existing bridge and build its replacement.

The Wenatchee City Council Sept. 24 awarded a $2,011,477.10 construction contract to Hurst Construction LLC, pending concurrence from the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Engineering Services Manager Nicole Brockwell said utility relocations will begin after irrigation water is shut off and the canal is drained for the year. The bridge contractor is then expected to begin work before mid-November.

“To replace that bridge, obviously, we have to remove the old one,” Brockwell said. “So there will be a detour for residents up in that area for a pretty lengthy period of time.”

Brockwell said the detour will be signed and the city has already mailed postcards to affected residents. She did not provide a specific duration for the closure during the presentation.

The work will follow completion of the nearby Red Apple Road improvements, helping preserve access before the Millerdale bridge is removed.

Brockwell said paving on Red Apple Road was expected the week following the council meeting. Most detours associated with that project would then be removed, although crews would return for final lighting work.

“Red Apple is expected to be complete well before they take out that existing bridge,” she said.

The Millerdale project drew 10 bids when proposals were opened Sept. 21. Hurst’s bid was approximately 20.6% below the engineer’s estimate, Brockwell said.

“Very competitive bidding for this project,” she said.

The city received federal Local Bridge Program funding to cover the bridge replacement’s design and construction. Related relocations of city-owned stormwater and sewer utilities will be paid for through the city’s respective utility programs.

Along with awarding the construction contract, the council approved a project budget amendment to align the budget with the bid results.

In a separate action, council members authorized an amendment to the city’s existing engineering agreement to provide construction management and inspection services for the bridge replacement, also pending WSDOT concurrence.

Brockwell said the additional services will supplement city employees in administering the federally funded project and allow immediate review of critical contractor submissions, including bridge plans and supplier information.

That early review is important to keeping construction within the seasonal window when the canal is empty.

“We’ve got to review their bridge plans, their supplier, all of that to ensure that we meet the kind of critical timelines of doing this work while the canal is out of water,” Brockwell said.

The initial construction management agreement was developed around the engineer’s estimate, with city employees expected to handle a greater share of the work to stay within available funding.

Because construction bids came in lower than anticipated, Brockwell said she expected to bring another amendment to the council in early October to add construction management support.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media