Gadsden, AL-  Tuesday the City of Gadsden awarded more than 2 Million Dollars of bids for long-awaited major road projects throughout the City of Gadsden.  Two separate bids were awarded, with the annual street resurfacing program occurring later this year. The funding for these projects was included in the 2018 fiscal year budget through the new Capital Improvements Fund.

The first bid was awarded to Bedwell and Whorton Excavating, an Etowah County contractor, for resurfacing and water main replacement on South 11th Street from Randall Street to Forrest Avenue. This project is being completed in partnership with the Gadsden Waterworks and Sewer Board in order to expedite the work and deliver a complete roadway requiring less long-term maintenance. The bid award is for $1,080,163.13, with approximately $310,000 being reimbursed to the City from the GWWSB.

The second bid was awarded to J & D Enterprises of Gadsden, for resurfacing on South 11th Street from Central Avenue to Walnut Street (Near Walnut Park Elementary School), Brooke Avenue from Walnut Street to I-759, Hooks Lake Road from Tidmore Bend Road to U.S. 411, and Scenic Drive from street address 1300 to 1998 (tar and gravel section.) These are significant and vital road projects that will drastically improve the quality of the roadways in these areas. The bid award is for $1,199,040.00.

Mayor Sherman Guyton noted that these projects should start soon and take less than three months to complete.  “I’m proud that we’re able to do this amount of paving, but especially pleased that we’re doing large sections of South 11th Street, which will benefit those traveling to both Gadsden City High School and Walnut Park Elementary.”  These five sections of road have been in the design phase for some time and are coordinated to reduce travel disruption and to accommodate other utility projects in the area that would potentially reduce the lifespan of these road improvements.