Low bid submitted on bridge

Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2004 | 9:42 a.m.

SUN CAPITAL BUREAU

CARSON CITY -- A low bid of $114 million has been submitted to build a new bridge over the Colorado River to replace the Hoover Dam route in Southern Nevada.

Obayashi/PSM Construction JV of San Francisco was the lowest of four bidders for the project, Ruedy Edgington, assistant director for engineering in the state Transportation Department, said. The bid was submitted to the Federal Highway Administration, which will award the contract.

Groundbreaking is expected to occur Oct. 20 and construction next year for the project, which is expected to take six years to build, he said.

The new bridge, downstream from Hoover Dam, will rise 800 feet above the Colorado River and be 1,700 feet long. He told the state Transportation Board that the contract may not be awarded by the groundbreaking date.

But he said construction on the new Nevada approach to the bridge is 50 percent complete. Edgington said work is estimated to be a year ahead of schedule. Completion is expected next year, he said.