Marble Falls awards construction contract for sewer pipe improvements
Sewer pipes near the intersection of Second Street and Avenue N can be replaced following a decision by the Marble Falls City Council at its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 7. A $480,590 construction contract for the project was awarded to Qro Mex Construction of Granite Shoals. Courtesy map
The Marble Falls City Council awarded a $480,590 construction contract for sewer pipe improvements during its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 7. Granite Shoals-based Qro Mex Construction will replace roughly 2,000 linear feet of sewer pipe starting near the intersection of Second Street and Avenue N and leading directly to the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
The old piping, which services every home in that area, is undersized and beginning to fail, City Engineer Kacey Paul said. Replacing it with larger piping will help reduce the risk of service outages and clear space for future improvements once the existing wastewater treatment plant is relocated.
Total costs are estimated at $545,590, the majority of which is covered by a $360,000 grant received from the 2019 Texas Community Development Block Grant program. The grant program is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Qro Mex Construction provided the city with the lowest project bid out of four responses received.
“The lowest bid … was (roughly) $480,000,” Paul said. “We’ve met internally and had several discussions about the remaining funds — the $185,590. We believe it’s eligible for the American Rescue Plan Act funding.”
American Rescue Plan Act money provides pandemic relief funding to municipalities. To date, the city of Marble Falls has received about $871,959 from the plan, City Manager Mike Hodge said in a statement to DailyTrib.com.
Construction on the project should start within the next month and be substantially complete by the spring of 2022, Hodge confirmed. The work will result in “short-term partial lane closures and an occasional closure of (roads).”