Bids for a railroad overpass at Poplar Bluff Industrial Park have come in approximately $700,000 over budget, causing another snag for the project.
The Butler County Commission is expected to discuss the matter at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning.
The apparent low bidder for the project is Robertson Contractors of Poplar Bluff at nearly $3.4 million. Six bids were received and opened Friday. Approximately $2.6 million in funding has been secured from state and federal partners.
The county is still committed to finding a way to move forward, according to presiding commissioner Vince Lampe, who said the railroad crossing at the industrial park was blocked for 30 minutes Monday afternoon by a train on the tracks.
This project would improve operations of factories and the safety of employees in the industrial park, officials have said.
Approximately 25 trains cross these tracks each day, along with more than 1,600 vehicles, they have said.
Construction was originally expected to be complete in the fall of 2016, after the county quickly secured more than $2.4 million in grant money.
Delays were caused as a final $100,000 in funding was sought, design changes were needed and right of way negotiations were undertaken.
Increased material costs for a crash wall account for the majority of the overages, according Bob Summers, of Horner & Shifrin engineering firm.
Expected to cost about $500,000 a year ago, it now makes up approximately $1 million of project costs, Summers said.
The crash wall is required by the railroad and must be built to withstand a train derailment without collapsing the overpass bridge, he said.
The county has 90 days to accept or reject the current bids, Summers said.
Funding for this project includes (figures approximate): a $1.4 million community block development grant from the Missouri Department of Economic Development; $1 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce; $101,100 from the Delta Regional Authority; and $135,900 from Union Pacific.