KYTC rejected $9.9 million in single bids by Kentucky's highway industry in February
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) rejected 10 single bid offers from Kentucky’s highway contractors in February. The rejected bids from the industry totaled $9,939,740.22.
KYTC also awarded 11 single bids during the February bid letting. Six of those awards - totaling $2.1 million - exceeded the cabinet’s engineer’s estimates by $39,030.04.
KYTC rejected three single bid attempts totaling $4.01 million from Mountain Enterprises. One of the company’s failed bids, a $2.3 million offer on a 5.5 mile US Highway 23 resurfacing project in Greenup County, exceeded the engineer’s estimate by $375,430.95.
L-M Asphalt Partners had three single bids totaling $3.98 million rejected by KYTC, including a $2.3 million single bid attempt for an 8 mile asphalt resurfacing project in Laurel County.
Hinkle Contracting - awarded $3.7 million in single bids in January - went two for two in February. Their single bid haul for the month totaled $768,239.50, exceeding the engineer’s estimates for those projects by $27,612.95. Both projects were for asphalt resurfacing.
Yager Materials was awarded a $458,714.16 single bid asphalt repaving contract for “various routes in Hancock County.” Yager’s bid for those routes exceeded the engineer’s estimate by 3.9 percent.
Walker Construction & Materials submitted two single bids totaling $727,885 for 7 miles of resurfacing in Menifee and Montgomery counties. Combined, the bids exceeded the engineer’s estimates by $42,604.43 and were rejected by KYTC.
Jim Smith Contracting secured two single bid awards totaling $477,924.39 for resurfacing projects in Graves and Lyon counties.
KYTC awarded $9.3 million in single bid contracts in January. The Beshear administration is advocating a $500 million tax increase from higher gas taxes and vehicle fees to fund new spending on roads and bridges.
The Bluegrass Institute has asked the Kentucky General Assembly to authorize a full audit of the Cabinet’s bidding practices.