Projects to paint road stripes in 20 West Virginia counties are among seven projects included in a special bid letting conducted by the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) on Thursday, Feb. 16.
When the WVDOH contracts to have roads paved, the contract usually includes painting the stripes down the middle of the road. However, those stripes wear and fade over time, so it’s necessary to restripe them periodically.
When that happens, WVDOH accepts bids for countywide restriping contracts. The Feb. 16 bid letting includes the following striping projects:
- Roadway striping, Fayette, Greenbrier, Nicholas, and Summers counties.
- Roadway striping, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Randolph, and Tucker counties.
- Roadway striping, McDowell, Mercer, Raleigh, and Wyoming counties.
- Roadway striping, Braxton, Gilmer, Lewis, and Upshur counties.
- Roadway striping, Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, and Ohio counties.
The WVDOH also accepted bids for two projects originally scheduled for a bid letting held on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2022:
- US 60 (Lafayette Street) Lewisburg sidewalks. (Greenbrier County)
- Thomas Bridge cleaning and painting. (Tucker County)
Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer’s Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer’s Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources, and whether sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed, and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.
When the Division of Highways has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.com and handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.
