Pre-bid meeting held for Beech Street paving project

LaFollette is closer to much needed paving. Contractors agree it is doable before cold weather arrives.

A pre-bid meeting for the LaFollette Beech Street paving project was held on Tuesday.

By Charlotte Underwood

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- LaFollette City Council members, Mayor Cliff Jennings, several contractors and the engineering firm held a pre-bid opening for the LaFollette Beech Street resurfacing project on Tuesday at 2 pm at City Hall. 

It was a mandatory TDOT meeting, according to Wesley Stokes with Canon & Canon Engineering. Stokes led Tuesday’s meetings, discussing the particulars related to the project.

The paving project runs along Beech Street from Jacksboro Pike to East Avenue. The length of the project is 1.63 miles.

“We’ve waited on this since 2018,” said City Administrator Stan Foust. The project was due to start over five years ago but got delayed due to Covid.

Wesley Stokes, with Canon & Canon Engineering led Tuesday’s Pre-bid meeting for the Beech Street Paving project that has been in the works since 2018.

Part of this project will include milling down certain areas of the road due to Beech Street being previously resurfaced without milling done.

According to Stokes, “It’s a pretty straight forward project of resurfacing.”

Three contractors attended Tuesday’s meeting. To bid on the project, contractors must be TDOT certified and had to attend Tuesday’s mandatory pre-bid meeting. Contractors at the meeting included Rogers Group, Adams Contracting out of Lexington, and Paige Construction.

Project bids are due by August 29 at 2 pm at city hall, with the bid opening slated for Wed., Sept. 4th at 2 pm. 

There will be 90 days allotted for paving after the notice to proceed with construction has been awarded to the company with the winning bid.

“It’s going to be close depending how cold it is,” said LaFollette Mayor Cliff Jennings.

LaFollette City officials met with contractors and engineers on Tuesday for a mandatory pre-bid meeting on the LaFollette Beech Street Paving project.

“Once we get the bids, we have to prepare the bid tab and get it approved through TDOT,” Stokes said.

“I would like to see it done before I’m gone,” Mayor Jennings said.

“If we can get it pushed through with TDOT, after September 4th, can we get it done before weather turns?” Foust asked.

Contractors agreed that it was doable.

“TDOT has been really good to us… I will call and ask what we have to do to get concurrence and move along with this,” Foust said. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 08/21/2024-6AM)