Marshall County Commissioners open bids for Community Crossings Road Projects

The Marshall County Commissioners opened bids on Monday, April 6, for four major road improvement projects tied to this year's Community Crossings Matching Grant program.

County Attorney Sean Surrisi opened and read bids from three companies vying for the work. E & B Paving Inc. out of Rochester submitted the lowest bid at $1,243,322.95. Milestone Contractors L.P. of South Bend submitted a bid of $1,341,417.15, while Rieth Riley Construction Company, Inc., also of South Bend, submitted the highest bid at $1,476,299.62.

The county has applied for the maximum $1 million grant through the state's 80/20 matching program. To secure the state funds, Marshall County must provide a $200,000 local match. The lowest bid from E & B Paving fits closely within the county's anticipated $1.2 million total budget for the projects.

County Highway Superintendent Jason Peters submitted four specific stretches of road for the grant program, totaling just over seven miles of improvements across the county:

• Muckshaw Road: from State Road 10 south to 18B Road (2 miles)
• 14B Road: from State Road 17 west to the county line (2.6 miles)
• 15th Road: from the railroad west to the county line (1.35 miles) and
• 12B Road: from the Bourbon town limits east to U.S. 30 (1.08 miles)

Following the bid reading, Superintendent Peters requested that the commissioners take the bids under advisement for further review to ensure all specifications are met. He is expected to return with a formal recommendation for the commissioners to vote on at their next meeting on Monday, April 20.