Council OKs contract for trail tunnels

BENTONVILLE — Work on the two tunnels to make the intersection of Southeast J and Southeast Eighth streets safer for trail users should begin in May, according to Mike Bender, public works director.

The tunnels are part of the contract to move water and sewer utilities from Southeast D Street to Moberly Lane as part of the Eighth Street Improvement Project.

The City Council approved Tuesday a $3.8 million contract with Arco Excavation to do the work. The council approved the contract without discussion.

“They’ll be functional while the roadway is going in,” Bender said of the tunnels once they’re finished. Both the tunnels and moving utilities for the are should take 10 months, he said.

The tunnels may be blocked periodically as the road is being built, but will, for the most part, be operational, Bender said.

The South Bentonville Trail and Townbranch Trail — both part of the Razorback Greenway — cross the intersection.

The city has several other tunnels. The one under Southeast Walton Boulevard was completed last year, and the number of trail users has nearly doubled since, according to David Wright, parks and recreation director.

There were 7,108 users in September 2015 and 12,531 in September 2016, he said in November.

This is the second time moving utilities for the Eighth Street project has been bid. The first was in the fall with the city accepting the $3.4 million bid from Del/Sha Construction, which was unable to secure payment bonds for the project, according to Tuesday meeting documents.

The Walton Family Foundation — who is paying $1.7 million for the tunnel construction — and the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department agreed rebidding the project was the best option, according to meeting documents.

Arco Excavating was the lowest of five bidders. Dean Crowder Construction was the next lowest at $4.3 million, and L.E. Davis Construction was the highest at $4.6 million.

The city’s cost will come from the Eighth Street Project escrow account.

The Eighth Street project was announced in 2005. It runs along South Eighth Street from Interstate 49 west to Southwest I Street. It includes building an interchange at I-49 and widening Eighth Street to five lanes from the interstate to Moberly Lane. It also includes widening the road to four lanes with a raised median between Moberly and Southwest I Street.

The project’s cost is estimated at $70 million. It will be paid for with federal, state, city and Wal-Mart money.

Moving utilities already under way east of Moberly and to the west between North Walton Boulevard and Southwest E Street.

The work east of Moberly should wrap up in about 30 days. The work on the west end, in front of WalMart’s Home Office, is expected to take another three weeks, Bender said.

“We knew it was going to be tough,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s been tougher than we expected. It’s just the reality.”

The closing on the west end will shift east as moving utilities progresses down Eighth Street, he said.