Moscow preps for bridge, upgrades

The Moscow City council next week will be asked to accept two contracts related to significant construction projects in downtown Moscow and on Sixth Street.

On Monday, the Public Works and Finance Committee recommended the city approve a professional services agreement with Coeur d’Alene-based engineering firm Welch Comer to start designing the downtown streetscape project.

The goal is to upgrade the current streetscape features located within downtown Moscow that were constructed in 1981 and are in deteriorating condition. Welch Comer will assess what improvements could be made to features like the sidewalks, furnishings, trees, lights and streets.

The project encompasses 40 acres of the city’s downtown core. The design process will include opportunities for public input.

The city hopes to start construction in 2023, but City Supervisor Bill Belknap said the construction phase is uncertain until the city learns the full scope of the project’s cost.

“I would anticipate the planning effort is going to take, really, the rest of this calendar year into probably early next before we have that ultimate plan and then can decide what actions the city would like to pursue,” he said.

The contract with Welch Comer costs $161,000 and will be split by the city and the Moscow Urban Renewal Agency. Welch Comer is the same consultant leading the design of Pullman’s downtown revitalization plan.

The Public Works and Finance Committee on Monday also recommended approval of a nearly $2 million bid from Razz construction to build a multi-modal bridge on Sixth Street.

The bridge will be constructed over Paradise Creek near the intersection with Mountain View Road. It will replace the existing culverts that have sustained damage from age and a 2019 flood.

The 24-foot single-span multi-modal bridge includes sidewalks, bike lanes, and will be elevated to reduce future flooding in the area.

The city only received one bid for this project, and it is substantially higher than the nearly $1.2 million engineers estimated because of the high cost of construction materials.

However, officials said accepting the bid will allow it to complete the bridge this summer, along with the planned roundabout at Mountain View Road and Sixth Street, and the widening of Mountain View Road.

“We do feel comfortable that we can fund this project at this level,” Belknap said. “Certainly, maybe not the bid price we would hope to see but we do think it is beneficial to the community to get this all completed in conjunction with the Mountain View project and avoid two years of continuous disruption and road closures in that area.”

Belknap also added that there is no guarantee the price will go down if the city opted to seek more bids.

Earlier this year, Moscow received a $955,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to put toward the bridge.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.