Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-05-20
ROAD Commission
LETS CONTRACTS
FOR 27.83 MILES
OF NEW HIGHWAYS
Chief Engineer Upham Recon-
mendcd Awards on All
But One Project.
ANALYSIS OF ESTIMATES

report OF tnlel i-uSlutti ~
Upham relative TO the BIDS received
last "Wednesday for road construction
in Delaware. Mr.. Upham having been
asked TO tabulate them and make recon-
mendations in accordance with his views.
The commissioners adopted Eng lneer
ITpham's report and awarded, as he
recommended. contracts No. |, for the
road from Dover 10 Cheswold: No. 3,
Penny Hill: No 4. Wilmington & Phil
adelphia Pike; No 5, Delmar to Laurel;
No. 6. Laurel 10 Seaford; No. Z, Seaford
to Bridgeville.
Action was deferred on contracts Nos. =,
Cheswold To Smvrna, and s, Glendale
to Milford. until slight details can bc
adjusted with the bidders. These are
combinations of the du Pont Boulevard.
T. Coleman du Pont, member of the
commission, has agreed to pay the bill
On contracts Nos. l, and ).
ENGINEeR's RECOMMENDATIONS.
The meeting. which was held on the
eleventh floor of the du Pont Building.
was attended BY ell Of the members OF the
commission except Josiah Marvel,
who is still in the University Hospital,
Philadelphia. where he was recently
operated upon for appendicitis.
In the report, Engineer Cpham roc
commended the awarding OF contracts
for all Of the projects under consideration
with one exception, the road from Ellen
dale To Milford, for which he recommends
at new bids be asked. The lowest
estimate on this was $3.50, ,S77. which
was submitted by Frank L. Cohen Of
Buffalo, \. \.
The engineer recommended the con-
str,Iction Of the following roads, his COM
rnent in each instance being appended:
Contract No. dover to CheSwold,
-i.05 milcs-Prioes below engineers cstl-
mate: recommends award to Heynan x
c. Oman Co Jersey City. Cement concrte;
cost. si54.4o6.S0: with reinforced con-
crete pir.s, SIS, ,ovSS so: with corrugated
metal pipe. sl55, $50 50.
Contracts No. 2-Chcswold To Smyrna,
40 miles, cement concrete-Prces ~,
900 above engineers estimate; recon-
mends award 10 Frank l. Cohen, Buffalo,
y. Y; cost. S2s7, ,752; with corrugated
metal pipe, $239,495; with reinforced
concrete pipe, $3.50, 1o7.
Contract No. 3-Penny Hill road,
. 4G miles, vitrihei brick, with concrete
foumdasion.-Prices approximate en-
gincers estimate: recommends award 70
Richard Hopkins Of Troy, \. =; cost,
s237. .To2
Contract No. Wilmington & Phila-
delphia Pike, 3 75 miles of vItrIhed brick
roadway, with concrete foundation
prices approximate (hrick surface below
engineers es.imste; recommends award
Ia the Victor Olson Contracting Co. oi
Yo,,Yrstovn. O., cost. S34S. .4S410.
Contract No. S-Delular to Laurel
COS Mules of cement roadway
slightly below engineers estimate;
recolnmends award TO Fl. ?. Walker and
P. L. Savage of New York City; cost
s233. 400
Contract No. 6-IAurel to Seaford
400 miles of cement concrete Prices
approximate engineers estimate; recon-
r,1ends award TO Kaufman & Carey oi
New YORK City: cost, sos, ,726.
Contract No 7.-Seaford 10 Bridge
vile. 6.6l miles Of cement concrete
Prices approximate engineer estl-
mate; recommends award of contract tc
Kaufman & Carey of New York; cost
$gS3 Dos
CONSISTENT PRICES
I'm presenting the above report for
vour consideration" Mr Upham said
Il wish TO call your attention to the
prices. At first glance the proposals
when compared with road work OF few
years ego. seem nigh. but upon analysis
and taking into consideration the heavy
increase In the priees Of labor and mater
iaIs, the proposals for the Delaware road
work, with two possible exceptions, are
comparatively consistent. Some Of the
bids are verv low when considering tbs
present cost of materials and labor.
During the past three years Labor
has increased from 100 to $50 per cent,
and materials from 100 to POO per cent
which when taken into consideration
currects the idea thai the cost Of present
road construction will be IN coEnpar ativo
excess Of previous costs of construction
II is generally felt that the cost Of Inateri
ais will not be reduced during the next
few wears In fact II Is generally con
csoded that the price OF raw materials
will advance due 10 the great demand
that Will be made for these materials
IN the near future.
Good roads not only serve the com
mtInIties economically, but have been thu
means Of extensive development and great
savngs While the cost Of road construc
ton has increased the saving by GOO
roads has also increased. In othci
words, the economic saving resulting from
good roads has kept pace with the stand
ard Of road costs
THE two contracts where the coDtrac-
tors proposals slightly exceed the engl-
neer's estimate are numbers and8. Whit,
the prices submitted for either Of these
contracts cannot be called excessive
they are. however, 3 little higher thar
those submitted IN the proposals for IL,
other contracts.
Regarding Contract No Z, 1t is very
desirable and essential tIlat it be com
pleted this year To re4dyeftlse this
contract according u our law would
require about five weeks from the date
of decision This would mean that the
contract would be thrown ia 10 the late
fall, and Il possibility 0i its h0t being
completed this year Tins would prob
ably be taken into account by contractor
10 making up his new proposals and
considered as Il contingency that would
add 70 his expense of completion An
other more serious objection to readVer-
tising this contract for new proposals
might mean that the travelling public
Of the State of Delaware would be de-
prived Of hard surfaced road during the
next winter, or be obliged TO use an unm-
proved road for another year
The contractors proposal exceeda I'd
the engineer estimate on Contract
Nc. 2 by $1,000.
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