Morais Concrete Service is the apparent low bidder to rebuilding aging sidewalks in West Springfield.
WEST SPRINGFIELD – The city is poised to award a contract for $740,441 to Morais Concrete Service Inc. for sidewalk reconstruction as part of its annual work upgrading sidewalks. Morais, which is located in Springfield, was apparent low bidder of the six construction companies whose bids were opened Wednesday.
Public Works Director Jack L. Dowd said his office is still checking out references for Morais, a company the city has never used, and if things are in order it should win the contract.
Work is expected to start May 1 and continue through Oct. 30. Dowd said his office had estimated bids would come in at about $950,000 but some were lower because of the poor economy. Because of that, he said the city will be able to replace more sidewalks than originally planned.
The work is part of annual sidewalk replacement that has taken place over the last 10 years.
“We are an older community. There are lots of areas where sidewalks have been in existence well over 50 years, have deteriorated and need to be replaced,” Dowd said.
Mayor Edward J. Gibson said the city has spent about $10 million on sidewalk replacement under his administration, with much of the work taking place in older areas of the city such as the Merrick section. About half the sidewalks replaced last year were in that neighborhood and about 25 percent of sidewalks to be rebuilt this year are in the Merrick section, according to Gibson.
Over the last decade, Gibson said the city has replaced about 10 percent of the community’s sidewalks.
The construction and associated work will be paid for with a combination of about $728,000 in city funds and approximately $250,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant money. Any surplus will be used to replace more sidewalks or rolled over into next year’s program according to Dowd.
The other companies competing for the work and their bids are as follows: Freitas Construction Inc. of Ludlow, $915,972; Caracas Construction Corp. of Ludlow, $928.163; Gomes Construction Co. of Ludlow, $956,059, H.M. Nunes and Sons Construction Corp. of Ludlow, $985,020 and Mass West Construction of West Springfield, $1,137,951.
Work is planned along sections of Bridge Street, New Bridge Street, Bliss Street, Worcester Street, Park Street, South Boulevard, Lathrop Street, Park Avenue.
Also, Southworth Street, Amostown Road, Elm Street, Elmwood Avenue, Fox Street, Maple Terrace, Chestnut Street, Morgan Road and Craig Drive.