December 28, 2023

Only one bidder for big King County sewer job

Image from King County document [enlarge]

Coal Creek will be protected during installation of the new sewer line.

King County opened bids last week for a project that will upgrade the Coal Creek sewer pipeline to increase capacity for Newcastle and parts of Bellevue.

Only one bid was received — $111 million from Frank Coluccio Construction Co. — and it was significantly higher than the engineer's estimate of $60.55 million. There was no word by deadline from the county on whether it will accept the bid or rebid the project.

The project's scope includes repair, installation and replacement of the trunk pipeline. Work involves open cut installation, trenchless installation, stream bank restoration, parking lot restoration, trail improvements, decommissioning of existing sewer pipe and maintenance holes, environmental mitigation, and wetland restoration. The project also will move much of the sewer pipe away from the creek in the Coal Creek Natural Area.

An August flyer on the work, the latest update posted on the county's project website, indicated construction could start by year end and continue into mid-2028. That's not likely now, as no contract award has been announced. The flyer does have a caveat that the schedule is approximate and could change.

A project document includes the names of these design firms: Brown and Caldwell; Perteet; CH2M; Roberts Engineering; and Shannon & Wilson.

The existing sewer line was built between 1966 and 1991, and is nearing its maximum capacity. The county expects the new sewer line will serve the area for at least another 50 years.

The project also will help achieve King County's Clean Water Healthy Habitat Initiative to enhance county waterways over the next decade.