City Council accepts bid for $3.6 million in paving projects

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The Birmingham City Council, at its regular meeting for Tuesday, August 13, took a step forward on some badly needed paving projects.

As part of its consent agenda, the Council voted to accept a lump sum bid of $3,625,455 from Midsouth Paving Inc. of Birmingham for some street resurfacing jobs around the city. The bid was the lowest and best of the two bids submitted, according to the text of the agenda item.

This represents only a portion of the paving projects that will be done in the city using monies previously appropriated by the Council, according to Mayor Randall Woodfin.

The list of projects that are part of the Midsouth bid are only those that can be completed prior to the change in the weather between November and January, according to the mayor.

“That slows down our ability to pave due to weather and the temperature,” Woodfin said.

“This allows us to begin our process,” he said.

The city’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget submitted to the Council in May by Woodfin included $8 million for paving in addition to $5 million for paving that had already been appropriated.

The Council voted July 23 to approve the budget for the city.

It takes up to a year after monies have been approved by the Council before the city can actually pave a street, because of the time needed to contact utility companies, follow a state-mandated bid process, finalize contracts and complete other steps. according to Woodfin.

OTHER BUSINESS

Also on consent, the Council approved an agreement under which the City will provide FTA Tiger Grant funds to the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority for the purchase of up to fifteen 40-foot CNG transit buses for the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project under the Authority’s current contract with New Flyer of America Inc.. The purchases should not exceed $602,500 per bus or a total amount of $9,037,500.

On its regular agenda, the Council approved a real estate exchange agreement between the city and Transportation Billing Solutions LLC, or TBS. The city will give TBS a 22,500-square-foot parcel at the southwest corner of the intersection of 19th Street and Avenue D in Ensley with an approximate value of $240,000.The parcel contains a 6,646-square-foot office and warehouse building where a medical clinic is currently located. In return, TBS will give the city a parcel of real property measuring about 32,278 square feet with an approximate value of $250,000.