Road work bids total $106M

Area section of 82 among 16 projects

A $33.5 million project to widen a section of U.S. 82 in Union County was among 16 projects on which the Arkansas Department of Transportation opened low bids totaling $106 million.

D&J Construction Co. of West Monroe, La., bested bids by McGeorge Contracting Co. Inc. of Pine Bluff and JB James Construction LLC of Baton Rouge to win the right to widen to four lanes a 6.1-mile section of U.S. 82 from U.S. 82B in El Dorado west to Airport Drive.

The project is part of the $1.8 billion Connecting Arkansas Program, a road construction initiative focusing on regionally significant corridors, including U.S. 82 between El Dorado and Texarkana.

It is the second project on which bids have been opened under the program.

JB James Construction is widening a 5.5-mile section of U.S. 82 in Columbia County between U.S. 79 and Columbia County Road 27 under a $34.2 million contract awarded earlier this year.

Other notable projects on which bids were opened Wednesday, including the low bid and low bidder:

Replace three bridges on U.S. 70 and U.S. 278 in Howard, Pike and Sevier counties; $20.5 million; Manhattan Road & Bridge Co. of Tulsa.

Improve an intersection and widen 4.27 miles of Arkansas 7 between Arkansas 7S and Arkansas 5 in Garland County, $18 million; Bowden Specialties Inc. of Dardanelle.

Replace two bridges on U.S. 82 in Lafayette and Miller counties; $9.9 million; Manhattan Road & Bridge Co. of Tulsa.

Improve a 4.2-mile section of Interstate 40 from the east city limits of Clarksville to U.S. 64 in Johnson County; $4 million; Diamond Surface Inc. of Rogers, Minn.