The project included the construction of six lanes on Ownsby, according to the city’s website.
City Council approved a change order in this amount as part of its consent agenda April 8. The increased cost is due to electric pole relocation delays.
This relocation led to a three-month delay in the project. Construction was completed in January, according to the city’s website.
The design work on Ownsby from Preston Road to CR 83 began in 2022. The city entered into an agreement with Costco Wholesale Corporation that year. The agreement required the city to complete construction of Ownsby by the end of 2026.
What happened?
In 2022, City Council authorized staff to begin the right-of-way acquisition process for the project.
Due to a lack of progress on multiple tracts, staff moved to acquire the land through eminent domain. However, the acquisition wasn’t finalized until months after GCEC, the electric utility company, was notified that it would need to move some of its facilities.
In October 2023, the city was notified that the telecommunications company Altice also had infrastructure that would have to be relocated as part of the project, causing further delays.
Because of the delays, RPMx, the contractor, requested a time impact delay cost of $379,282 from the city. Staff objected to this charge because the project was still within the allocated calendar days for the work. After multiple meetings, staff agreed on charges of $140,274.
