Steamboat Pilot & Today

South Routt — The Colorado Department of Transportation postponed until today opening bids for the first phase of the Colorado 131 corridor project.
The state agency hoped to look at bids on Sept. 7 but decided to make some changes to the drawings of the project, CDOT project engineer Van Pilaud said.
"We made some technical changes in the construction drawings to make sure everything was clear," he said.
To ensure that all the bidders had time to understand the changes on the plans, CDOT postponed the opening of the bids for one week.
"As far as I know right now, I anticipate bids to be opened Thursday. Then we'll know who the low bidder is," Pilaud said.
After the lowest bid is picked, CDOT and the chosen company has 20 days to get contracts signed and the deal finalized.
Usually, the low bidder gets the job, but in rare circumstances, snares come up in the contract-signing phase and the deal falls through.
Once the contract is signed, some work could begin this fall on Colo. 131, but the majority of the work will be done for 130 days next summer, Routt County Commissioner Ben Beall said at a community meeting in Oak Creek Monday.
"I think it will be a significant improvement," Beall said of the project.
The $17 million CDOT project will widen and repave Colo. 131 from U.S. 40 to Oak Creek. The first phase of the project, which CDOT is open bids for on Thursday, is the north four miles of Colo. 131.
When that phase is in full swing next summer, drivers can expect to have delays that could be as long as 30 minutes.
"For a number of years there will be a significant amount of inconvenience," Beall said.
CDOT officials estimated that it could be six years until the whole thing is completed.
But the end product will be a wider, safer road, Beall said.

To reach Doug Crowl call 871-4206 or e-mail dcrowl@amigo.net