Henry County schedules Feb. 9 start for Southeast 91st Street bridge; 90‑day timeline, $950/day liquidated damages

At a Jan. 27 preconstruction meeting, Great River Engineering and contractor Lewis Company outlined plans to begin construction on the Southeast 91st Street bridge (BRO‑4231) on Feb. 9 and complete the work in 90 calendar days.

"Project schedule, I'm looking at 90 calendar days with $950 liquid liquidated damages per day," said Lindsey Chapman of Great River Engineering, who led the preconstruction presentation. Chapman and other project managers said the notice to proceed is expected before the Feb. 9 start and that the insurance certificate runs through May 10, placing practical pressure on the schedule.

Consultants reviewed federal and state contract requirements, including utility coordination and right‑of‑way issues because portions of the project cross land owned by the U.S. government; the team said a maintenance agreement will be required and that contractors must make an 811 utility call before work. Environmental requirements noted in the contract include obtaining demolition permits where needed and clearing trees before March 31. The contract documents provided to attendees include asbestos and lead reports.

The contractor and consultant also discussed compliance rules. "You'll need OSHA 10‑hour cards for anyone on site, PPE and certified payroll within seven days of payment," Chapman said, adding that labor interviews and a monthly poster check will be part of compliance monitoring. Pay requests will be reviewed by the county and submitted to MoDOT for reimbursement; consultants asked the county to remit reimbursement within 48 hours of receiving funds to support subsequent pay requests.

A change order prepared for the contract reduces the formal DBE goal from 3% to 0%, while consultants said contractors should still use the DB firms they listed in their bid packages. Tim Wise, project manager for Lewis Company, confirmed the Feb. 9 start date was acceptable. Project inspectors and county staff said they will perform weekly site visits and more frequent inspections at critical construction stages.

The meeting closed with distribution of plan sets and contact information; consultants said they will issue the signed contract package and a tax‑exempt letter to the county so work can begin on the scheduled date.