Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-03-05
BUILDING OF SEVENTY-FOuE
COUNTY BRIDGES AWARDED
FOR SOFAS.
WORK is DIVIDED AMONG
FOUR CONTRACTING FIRMS
Cole Bros, Ames, InsersolI. Stouffer
Construction Company and A. p.
Munson, Marion, Get Work-Prices
Abou. II Per Cent Higher Than for
Same Work Let Last Spring.

Contracts for seventy-four concrete
bridges and culverts were awarded by
the board of supervisors Monday
afternoon for total of s70,746. The
contracts, which were four in number,
represent practically all of the bridges
and culverts to be built in the county
this year, with the exception Of large
bridge TO be erected over Timber Creek
in the Lincoln highway at the Rock
VALLEY mill and the bridges let last
spring that were not built last year
The bridges were let in groups, the
county having been divided into four
such groups for convenience in hauling
materials and for the letting. The con-
tractors to whom contracts were
awarded, the group Of tSe award, and
the number OF bridges and culrerts ID
each group were: A. p. Munson, Mar
ion, group No. !, nine bridges in north
eastern part of county, $1,000; Cole
Bros, Ames, group No. ,. sixteen brid-
ges IN northwestern part Of county.
$l6,6l6; Ingersoll- Stouffer Construc-
ton Company, city, group No. B.
twenty six bridges IN southwestern
part Of county, $3.50; a. P. Munson,
group No. I, twenty three bridges in
southeastern part Of county, s16,6S0.
Low Bidders For Groups.
The contractors 10 whom work was
awarded were low bidders for the
groups for which they got the con-
tracts. In addition to the three success
ful bidders, the following seven others
rled bids for all or part Of the work:
tlTeld Construction Company, Dies
Moines; Northern Steel and Construc-
ton Company. Chicago: T. J. Wagner,
Swea City; y. n. Stark & Co, Des
Moines; Federal Bridge Company, Des
Moines; Iowa Bridge Company, Des
Moines and Taylor & Anderson, Sioux
City.
". T. Beard, district engineer for the
state highway commission, was here
for the letting. He thought the prices
at which the contractors were let were
fair and reasonable and lower than in
some counties where contracts had
been let recently.
Cost Up About II Per Cent.
County Engineer II. o. Hichoks
---.+4GANN ~ cS NSA-N iva h--N ~ IL
Al which the bridges were let. He
estimated that the prices at which the
work was awarded were about II per
cent higher than they would have been
for the same bridges had the contracts
been let last spring.
Engineers employed by contractors
who were at the letting estimated that
the bids as a whole would range from
20 TO % per cent higher than for the
same work had il been let a year ago.
The increase is due TO a number Of
Items Of cost, chief OF which is labor.
Other items included in the estimates
which caused the bids 10 be higher
were uncertainty on the part OF the
contractors as 10 what sort of railroad
service they would get on shipments
OF materials, much higher demurrage
charges, and slightly higher prices for
cement.
Labor Big Item.
Labor is the important and most IN
certain item both as regards the cost
and the progress and completion Of the
contracts. Contractors included IN their
cost figures for labor prices ranging
from $3.50 to $3.50 q day for common
labor, with probably an average Of "a.
But none Of them is at all certain
where all of the labor is 10 be recruited.
For this reason most Of the contractors
specified either minimum or maximum
amount of work they would accept
under the bids they made. Some placed
a maximum on the amount SO that
they might not take more work than
they could complete in the season.
Cement was figured on a basis OF about
$40 a barrel delivered, or within few