The deadline for bids to widen a stretch of George Washington Memorial Highway (Route 17) that runs from Hampton Highway to Grafton Drive from four lanes to six has been delayed after the Virginia Department of Transportation has received a number of questions about the project from potential contractors.
The bid date, which was originally due in late March, has been extended to April 24, said Andrew Scott, a VDOT project manager who will oversee the work. He said he is still hopeful that work can begin in May, as the summer months represent what he called “prime construction season.”
“When you’re in the summer construction time is like gold,” Scott said. “It’s the best temperature for doing the work. In particular, you need warmer temperatures for asphalt work.”
The questions VDOT has received are mostly about small discrepancies in documents outlining the project, Scott said. For example, one part of the plan said landscaping had to be done by Oct. 1, while another part said landscaping could only be done October through December. By extending the deadline for bids, VDOT hopes to clear up these issues for potential contractors.
The widening will run from just north of the Hampton Highway overpass all the way to Grafton Drive, which is the access road to the Grafton school complex.
Bids typically come in the night before the due date or on the morning of the due date, said Don Silies of VDOT’s Construction Division. So far, around 40 companies have looked at the plans, according to the Contractor’s Advertisement Bulletin Board. Among those companies are potential prime contractors that would conduct much of the work and subcontractors that would carry out specialized tasks, such as work on electric systems and other utilities.
Williamsburg’s Branscome Inc. is the only Historic Triangle company currently on the list of contractors. Construction costs are estimated to be about $39.9 million.
The project is estimated to cost $64 million — the remaining cost coming from engineering and acquiring the land necessary to expand the road — and is supposed to help alleviate congestion from the projected 90,000 vehicles per day that will use the road by 2035. Currently it’s estimated that about 56,000 vehicles use the road per day, which leads to frequent congestion and delays during peak travel periods, according to VDOT’s website.
During construction, which VDOT estimates will run through October 2016, two lanes of traffic will be open in both directions of travel during the day. Crews may close one lane in each direction during the night, Scott said.
The project is split into three phases:
- Phase one, which runs from May 2013 to September 2014, will widen the road from Hampton Highway to near Lakeside Drive.
- Phase two, which runs from September 2014 to October 2015, will continue from where phase one ended to Washington Square Shopping Center.
- Phase three, which runs from October 2015 to October 2016, will widen from Washington Square Shopping Center to Grafton Drive.
The design for the project was first initiated in 2003, Scott said. Since then, VDOT has grappled with funding issues that have repeatedly delayed the start of the project. In addition, VDOT had to purchase property for the third lane on each side of the road, affecting about 130 properties along the road.
