Bids Come In On First Project For Route 29 Solutions

RICHMOND — Two construction companies submitted bids to build the improvements to the
Route 29 / Route 250 interchange in Charlottesville. That project is the first roadway
improvement in the Route 29 Solutions package to advance to construction.
The Virginia Department of Transportation announced that Fielder’s Choice Enterprises Inc., of
Charlottesville, is the apparent low bidder, with a price of $11,121,077.60 to construct the
project. The other bidder was Faulconer Construction Company Inc., also of Charlottesville, with
a bid of $12,331,765.80.

The project will improve the southbound entrance ramp from Route 29 (Emmet Street) onto the
Route 250 Bypass by adding a lane on the ramp and a merge lane on Route 250 west to the
Barracks Road exit. It also includes an additional southbound lane to Route 29 south of
Hydraulic Road to the interchange. It’s known locally as the “Best Buy ramp” project.
The bids will be reviewed to ensure the apparent low bidder is responsive to all aspects of the
request for bids and that the firm is a responsible bidder. Responsive means the bid is complete
and includes all bonds, declarations and other information required by state and federal law.
Responsible means the firm is pre-qualified with VDOT and in good standing with the State
Corporation Commission. The bids are also analyzed for conformance with the department’s
confidential engineer’s estimate.

Once the department decides that the above requirements have been met and has determined that
the bid represents good value to the commonwealth, the bid will be presented for award by the
Commonwealth Transportation Board in early 2015. If the contract is awarded as scheduled
construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2015. The project has a fixed completion date
of May 21, 2016.The project is part of a package of eight in Charlottesville and Albemarle County that will improve safety and increase capacity and efficiency along Route 29 and provide alternate routes on parallel roads.

Other projects included in the package: widen Route 29 from Polo Grounds Road to Towncenter
Drive; construct Berkmar Drive Extended from Hilton Heights Road to Hollymead Town Center;
grade separate the intersection of Rio Road and Route 29; extend Hillsdale Drive from
Greenbrier Drive to Hydraulic Road; install state-of-the-art adaptive signal technology at the
intersections from Hydraulic Road north to Airport Road; complete a study and preliminary
engineering for improvements to the Route 29/Hydraulic Road intersection and a possible
extension of Hillsdale Drive south of Hydraulic Road.

Information about the Route 29 Solutions package can be found on VDOT’s web site at:
www.Route29Solutions.org.