Bid for River Road repair comes in at $700K

REVIEWING BID

I reviewed it Monday and I’m not familiar with some of the language in there. If it was for a building or clinic or something I would understand it, but this is different. I’ve sent it to Garry Seyb at Lee County Supervisors to look at,”

Matt Mullins, Montrose Mayor

MONTROSE – A bid to permanently fix the Mississippi River Road just south of Montrose has come in at $700,000.
Montrose Mayor Matt Mullins said Thursday that he received the bid from Geo Stabilization International of Minneapolis/St. Paul and reviewed it on Monday.
Mullins said there are some things in the bid that he isn’t familiar with and is having it reviewed.
He said one part of the bid allows the company to charge up to $1,200/hour for down time in the event that something would halt work on the road.
“I reviewed it Monday and I’m not familiar with some of the language in there. If it was for a building or clinic or something I would understand it, but this is different. I’ve sent it to Garry Seyb at Lee County Supervisors to look at,” Mullins said.
He said the issue will be put in front of the Montrose City Council for discussion but nothing is being voted on.
Seyb said the county is helping the city connect the dots to groups that could provide assistance.
Mullins said he’s also working with local, state and federal officials to try and find funding sources, but the city has other issues at hand as well.
For the past dozen years or so heavy rains have caused, at different times, a portion of the Mississippi River Road to collapse towards the Mississippi River.
The city is in a fact-finding stage with regard to the road, but is also having to deal with very pressing concerns at the sewer plant.
Mullins said in a recent story, there are several broken pieces of equipment at the sewer plant but it’s still meeting Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Agency benchmarks for water discharge into the river.
However, the repairs needed at the sewer treatment plant were estimated at $3 million back in 2019 and Mullins fears those are 25% to 50% higher now.
The most recent collapse of the road occurred April 28, the same night as Central Lee’s and Keokuk’s high school proms. Mullins said after speaking with past mayors and city officials the collapses are becoming less and less severe.
“When it first collapsed it fell about 15 feet, but this last one was only two feet, so at least’s it seems to be getting better,” he said.