LAKEPORT >> The Lake County Board of Supervisors approved a contract change order at Harbin Springs Road for the Harbin Creek Bridge Replacement Project. The order allows work on the structure to continue.
Lake County Public Works Director Scott De Leon said because this represented a change in the approved contract, it needed to come before the board for approval. The reworking was necessary because the original Class 2 Aggregate Base supplier was not accessible during the Napa and Sonoma County fires.
“What this change order addresses is the additional cost of trucking when the contractor needed to switch material suppliers,” De Leon said.
The bridge project has suffered from unexpected and perhaps unusual delays, including the discovery of endangered frogs in the area. This time, fires caused plans to shift.
“The original supplier was on Mark West Spring Road which is a relatively short haul to get the material to the bridge site That quarry was in the middle of the fire so they were unable to bring materials from that quarry,” De Leon said.
To continue work and meet permit requirements during the Governor-declared state of emergency, De Leon said an alternate supplier was required. With that, there was also a need to cover additional trucking costs due to the alternate supplier being much further away.
“The material cost itself remains the same and we were able to negotiate that but there was additional trucking and this change order is an increase of $4,441.56,” De Leon said.
This will take the contract from its original estimated amount of $1.27 million to $1.28 million. Caltrans told the county that this cost is eligible for reimbursement because the changes are within reason.
This project is fully funded by the state and federal government until the construction is completed. Organizations that are funding it are the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) through the Federal Highway Bridge Program (HBP) and the California Toll Credit funds.
The county has requested additional funding from the organizations for this project to offset the cost and will continue the project.
