Horsepen Creek crossing on Otterdale Road
A tweak to the process by which the Chesterfield Department of Transportation (CDOT) awards construction contracts already is paying dividends.
The section of Otterdale Road that had been closed since March—to accommodate replacement of an undersized drainage culvert with a new bridge crossing at Horsepen Creek—was reopened recently more than a month ahead of schedule.
Other improvements included regrading the stream channel, enhancing shoulders and roadside drainage ditches and adding stormwater management facilities.
With Phase I of the $26.2 million project completed, work commenced Wednesday to replace the drainage culvert and bridge crossing at Blackman Creek.
Once that is done, Phase 3 will begin at the Otterdale Branch crossing.
The project is intended to significantly enhance drainage and minimize the likelihood of future flooding along the Otterdale Road corridor.
The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors approved a bond sale to finance the Otterdale Road Drainage Improvement Project the month after a historic rainfall—more than 10 inches of rain over 24-hours in some parts of the county—caused extensive flooding along Otterdale Road in August 2020.
In September 2021, the board authorized county staff to continue preliminary design and proceed with right-of-way acquisitions, utility relocations and solicitation for design-build construction contracts.
Typical benefits of the design-build approach include enhanced construction quality, accelerated project timetable and cost savings.
Rather than simply award the contract to the lowest bidder, CDOT pre-screened interested firms through a request for qualifications. Companies deemed to be qualified were then invited to submit bids.
Chesterfield received four best value design-build proposals. Based on a combination of its technical proposal and price, Kokosing Construction Company, Inc., scored highest of the four with a total of 88.23 points out of 100.
The Board of Supervisors authorized a contract award to the Ohio-based company in January.