City officials believe construction on a 2.5-mile extension of Shelby Road could begin as soon as September.
The Poplar Bluff City Council received bids Monday night for the approximately $10 million project, which would extend from Kanell Boulevard to Highway 53.
The council is expected to accept a low bid Aug. 21 from Robertson Contractors of Poplar Bluff, one of nine bidders on the project.
Engineers are recommending the council accept a base bid to construct the road and three project alternates.
These would pave a walking trail, construct a four-lane bridge and install a signal light at Roxie Road, said Billy Cobb, engineering manager with Smith and Company of Poplar Bluff.
"It's well under our estimate," Cobb told the council. "We were worried about the budget and the TDD (Transportation Development District) and where things would fall, so we set it up with several different alternates."
The base bid is just under $8.1 million. The alternatives will cost approximately: paved walking, $510,000; signal light, $89,000; and bridge, $1.4 million.
Two additional alternates were put out for bid as a precaution, but may not be needed, Cobb said. They relate to protection of a spring and increased expenses to deal with swampy, unsuitable soil, if any is found.
The contractor will have 420 days to complete the project, from the date the contract is signed.
Bond debt taken out under the Poplar Bluff Regional Transportation District is being used to finance the project.
Payments will be made with money collected from a 1-cent transportation sales tax levied at more than 150 businesses in the Oak Grove Road, Kanell Boulevard and Westwood Boulevard areas. Payments are currently expected to continue through 2039 and 2046.
The PBRTDD was set up to fund a series of phase 1 and phase 2 transportation improvements.
The Shelby Road extension is the final phase 1 project, which would allow remaining money to go toward phase 2 work.
Approximately $11 million remains in the project fund, before the Shelby Extension, said city manager Mark Massingham.
The district still owes approximately $780,000 to Larry Hillis for a phase 2 road already constructed on the north side of Poplar Bluff, near Walmart Neighborhood Market.
In other business, the council:
* Discussed and voted to accept a change order related to walking trail to McLane Park, where costs will be approximately $2,000 less than expected.
* Reviewed bids for the sale of a workshop/storage building owned by the city on Roxie Road. The building was purchased as part of property used for the Shelby Road extension. The sale is expected to be awarded Aug. 21 to Tim Savat of Poplar Bluff, who bid $2,000. A second bid for purchase was received from Kajacs Contractors of Poplar Bluff for $525.
* Reviewed and voted to accept an amendment to a contract between the utility department and Tantalus Systems, related to the backup of data at an off site location. The utility will spend approximately $2,200 more per year for the use of a virtual server, with a total annual maintenance cost of approximately $32,100.
* Moved a vote to become part of a Texas-based purchasing group to the Aug. 21 meeting. There is no cost to join and it would allow the police department to update 911 equipment at a lower cost, according to the discussion.