WVDOH awards several bridge and paving contracts

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A project to replace an aging bridge named after a historic Jackson County native is among 18 construction projects awarded by the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, and Wednesday, January 8, 2025. The projects were awarded from a bid letting conducted on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.

WVDOH State Bridge Engineer Tracy Brown, P.E., said the U.S. Army 2LT Clarence Dragoo Memorial Bridge, which carries Old WV 21 across Sycamore Creek in Jackson County, will be replaced with a 107-foot two-lane bridge with sidewalks. The original bridge was built in 1925 and carried weight restrictions.

Brayman Construction Corporation was awarded a contract to replace the bridge, with a bid of $6,092,500.35.

In 2018, the bridge was named in honor of Clarence Dragoo, a Sandyville native who lost his life in the closing months of World War II.

Dragoo, a navigator on a B-24 bomber, was on a mission over Italy on Wednesday, February 28, 1945, when his bomber took heavy antiaircraft fire over the target. Dragoo and the rest of his crew survived the bombing run, but their aircraft crashed in the Adriatic Sea, taking all 11 crew members with it.

Dragoo's remains were unrecovered until 2015, when they were returned to Jackson County for final burial.

Brown said the bridge will be replaced in stages to allow traffic to remain on the bridge during construction. The downstream half of the bridge will be replaced first, followed by the upstream side.

Contracts awarded from the December 17 bid letting were:

• Bear Contracting LLC was the low bidder on a paving project on Third Avenue in Huntington from Eighth Street to 21^st Street, with a bid of $878,682.47. (Cabell County)
• Thaxton Construction Company Inc. of Sissonville was the low bidder on a slide repair project on Little Fudges Creek Road, with a bid of $144,141.50. (Cabell County) (Roads to Prosperity)
• Phoenix Excavating LLC was the low bidder on a slide repair project on the Neal Slide, with a bid of $370,571. (Wayne County) (Roads to Prosperity)
• Thaxton Construction Company Inc. of Sissonville was the low bidder on a slide repair project on Fisher Bowen Branch Road, with a bid of $348,104. (Wayne County) (Roads to Prosperity)
• West Virginia Paving Inc. was the low bidder on a paving project on US 60 from 29^th Street to Peyton Street, with a bid of $3,326,032.62. (Cabell County)
• Meadows Stone & Paving Inc. was the low bidder on a paving project on US 19 from Flatwood to Heaters Road, with a bid of $536,206.63. (Braxton County)
• Meadows Stone & Paving Inc. was also the low bidder on a paving project on WV 5 from Sand Fork to Burnsville Road, with a bid of $828,534.76. (Gilmer County)
• Meadows Stone & Paving Inc. was also the low bidder on a paving project on Gassaway Road, with a bid of $1,130,083.27. (Braxton County)
• West Virginia Paving Inc. was the low bidder on a paving project on Georgetown-Horner Road, with a bid of $1,031,250.19. (Lewis County)
• Green Acres Contracting Company Inc. was the low bidder on a guardrail project in District 3, with a bid of $450,160. (Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasants, Roane, Wirt, and Wood counties)
• Belt Paving Inc., was the low bidder on a paving project on WV 29 from Deep Run Hollow to Delray, with a bid of $918,650. (Hampshire County)
• PDK Construction Inc. was the low bidder on a guardrail project in District 2, with a bid of $4,443,014.62. (Logan, Mingo, and Wayne counties)
• West Virginia Paving Inc. was the low bidder on a paving project on US 60 from Glenn Ferris to Gauley Bridge, with a bid of $2,304,981.88. (Fayette County)
• Phoenix Excavating LLC was the low bidder on a rehabilitation project on the Youth Camp Girder Bridge, with a bid of $1,422,623.55. (Upshur County)
• West Virginia Paving Inc. was the low bidder on a paving project on WV 3 from Jumping Branch to Nimitz, with a bid of $722,637.86, (Summers County)
• West Virginia Paving Inc. was also the low bidder on a paving project on WV 12 from Peterstown to Bozoo Road, with a bid of $1,188,963.82. (Monroe County)
• Brayman Construction Inc. was the low bidder on a project to replace the U.S. Army 2LT C. Dragoo Memorial Bridge, with a bid of $6,092,500.35. (Jackson County)
• SMH Construction Company Inc. was the low bidder on a rehabilitation project on the GR Bob Johnson Memorial Bridge, with a bid of $518,969.62. (Logan County)

Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer's Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer's Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources, and whether sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed, and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.

When the Division of Highways has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.com and handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.

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