C.S. McCrossan submits $127 million low bid for I-94 project.

Byline: Brian Johnson

Construction bids for the expansion of Interstate 94 between Maple Grove and Rogers came in at just over $127 million Wednesday as C.S. McCrossan beat out two other contractors in a best-value competition.

Scheduled to begin in mid-March and wrap up by November 2021, the project will improve traffic flow and safety in the I-94 corridor northwest of the Twin Cities, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

C.S. McCrossan proposed to complete the project for $127.149 million, the lowest price among the three contractors vying for the work. The other bidders were Michels Corp., $129.67 million, and Ames Construction, $143.12 million.

Peter Davich, MnDOT's design-build program manager, said Wednesday that the McCrossan bid is within the range of the expected cost. MnDOT's estimate was $106 million to $141 million, according to the project's website.

MnDOT spokesman David Aeikens said the cost to MnDOT is about $126.1 million. Other funding sources include the Metropolitan Council ($800,000), the city of Maple Grove ($130,000), and the city of Dayton ($125,000).

MnDOT is awarding the project on the basis of a best-value formula that considers price and a technical score.

Geographically speaking, the project appears to be a good fit for C.S. McCrossan, which is based in Maple Grove.

"McCrossan is located right there. That could have helped them quite a bit," said Matt Zeller, executive director of the Concrete Paving Association of Minnesota.

Crews will overhaul a 9.5-mile stretch of I-94 between the I-494 Fish Lake Interchange and Highway 10, and add a new general purpose lane in each direction from Highway 610 to Highway 101, according to MnDOT.

The project is part of a larger expansion of I-94. Related work includes expansions from St. Michael to Albertville and from Monticello to Clearwater, and a new interchange at Dayton Parkway.

MnDOT awarded the other I-94 projects to Hoffman Construction and PCI. That team proposed the lowest cost for both Clearwater to...