The Midland City Council recently discovered that a change in the bidding process has led to significant savings on the Road Bond project, amounting to over $10 million. The council approved a change order focusing on safety improvements, such as roadway striping, illumination, and signage for Garfield Street from Michigan Avenue to Golf Course Road.
In addition to these improvements, city staff informed the council about plans to add continuous sidewalks and new curbs and gutters not originally included. The Garfield project is expected to be completed by fall, with driveways, alleys, and roadways opening as work progresses. Lane closures will be implemented during sidewalk construction and other incidentals.
“We are currently on pace to complete all three phases of the project (utilities, paving, and roundabouts) including the change order at approximately $13 million,” city staff noted. “Roughly 50% of the original $25 million bid.”
Voters approved a $100 million Road Bond in 2017. With the recent savings, Midland plans to complete 26 projects with an additional $10 million allocated for further infrastructure improvements across the city.
In 2022, Midland bid out a comprehensive package project for Garfield—one of the 26 Road Bond projects—covering roadway reconstruction and all underground utilities. However, the initial bid received was $25 million, three times higher than estimates.
City staff and council opted to reject this bid and instead divided the project into three phases to cut costs:
- Phase I: Paving and utilities from Michigan to Louisiana to minimize disruptions near the hospital.
- Phase II: Utilities from Louisiana to Golf Course.
- Phase III: Paving from Louisiana to Golf Course, with responsibilities shared between a contractor and city staff.