Six construction bids for the 2015 Water System Improvements project were received on Feb. 4.

The project will replace and install 5,480 feet of water mains, 107 water services, 17 fire hydrants and related surface restorations on Island Crest Way from S.E. 44th/Merrimount Drive to S.E. 40th; 85th Ave S.E. from S.E. 42nd to S.E. 40th; 89th Ave S.E. & 90th Ave S.E. from S.E. 41st to S.E. 40th; and 93rd Ave S.E. south of S.E. 72nd St.

The city awarded the contract to the successful responsive low bidder, Earthwork Enterprises, for $1,582,001.25. The engineer’s estimate was $1,670,000, and the total project budget is $2,398,035.

Earthwork has completed several water system improvement projects for the city in the past, including the 88th and 86th Ave S.E. water system improvements in 2014.

“Projects are always on time and on budget, and unless there’s an issue with an unknown … that would be the only driving factor that might delay a project or cause it to go over budget,” Assistant City Engineer Anne Tonella-Howe said at the Feb. 23 City Council meeting.

Earthwork’s experience is almost exclusively utility work for public agencies and municipalities. In the past five years, Earthwork has completed pipeline and water main projects for the cities of Bellevue and Edmonds, the North City Water District and the Alderwood Water and Sewer District.

Other bids ranged from $1,678,416.00 from Kar-Vel Construction to $2,330,614.43 from Bristol Construction.

Councilmembers expressed concerns about the way in which bids are awarded, after experiencing problems with the contractor selected for the Fire Station 92 project. By state law, the contract must be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. The fire station is now months behind schedule and the city is looking at damages of around $500,000.

Councilmember Jane Brahm also asked if the project would replace any cast iron pipe, which could have contributed to the presence of E. coli in the Island’s water system last fall. This project is focusing on asbestos cement pipe, not cast iron. The Council will discuss the city’s response to the E. coli event on March 30.

“Every capital project that we do improves our water system,” Tonella-Howe said.

Construction for the water system improvements is scheduled to begin in mid to late March and is expected to take 120 working days to complete.