Cookeville City Council ready to award a bid for utility work on Jefferson Avenue following a Monday work session.
Cookeville Sewer and Water Department Director Barry Turner said the project is tied to T-DOT’s project of widening Jefferson Avenue and the full repave of the street. Turner said while most of the underground work has already been completed, adjustments are still needed for manholes and water valves that remain in the roadway.
“Fortunately, we got rid of most of the valves that are in the road, but we still have several valves that are on the side streets where they’re going to pave a little bit there at the intersections, and all the sewer manholes are still in the Jefferson pavement,” Turner said.
The bid process for the project drew two bids, with the low bid coming in at an estimated $127,300 from CK Masonry. Turner said the project must be completed before T-DOT continues paving on the northern portion of Jefferson Avenue.
“They will mill the road, so they have to be lowered so they can mill and not hit the manhole cover, and then, after they pave, we’ll bring them back up,” Turner said. “It’s just adjusting those castings for manholes and water valves.”
Turner recommended that the council award the low bid, noting the other bid was significantly higher.
“We had two bids, and they were quite a bit different,” Turner said. “This one contractor that was the low bid has done a lot of work up here, so they gave us a good price. The other contractor was more than double the price, so we’re pleased with the price.”
If approved, Turner said the timing of the project will be closely coordinated with the state’s paving schedule, which is to begin in the coming months.
“I think the state, if I recall correctly, is going to start paving in May,” Turner said. “I’m not 100 percent on that date, but they will lower these castings just right before they pave. They are about a week or so before because we may need access to them prior to that, so they will not lower them too early. Then, as soon as they pave, they will come back in within a week or so and try to raise them back up to where we can get in them.”
In addition to the Jefferson Avenue work, the council also discussed ongoing planning for a separate project. City Manager James Mills said the project would be a lane widening or lane addition.
Mills asked Turner if the city will have to do any type of adjustment or any type of contract to move a hydrant. Turner said he has learned more since the state released plans to the city.
“We don’t think we’re going to have to do that much,” Turner said. “We were thinking we were going to be out about $50,000 there, but it appears that we are going to actually dig out the end of the casing pipe. It appears that that casing pipe is going to end up under the sidewalk. If it ends up under the sidewalk, we are going to be pretty good there. If it’s going to end up in the pavement, we’re going to extend it.”
Mills said the city is close to having final plans on the Interstate Drive project and may have the project ready for bid in the next couple of weeks.
“That is a big project,” Mills said. “That will include fixing the dip on Interstate Drive also.”
The dip Mills is talking about is in the pavement before you get to Starbucks, coming from Jefferson Avenue.
