Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-03-09
ENGINEER WILL
LOOK FOR CUT
NPAVING BIDS
City Officials Anxious to
Know if Asphalt Cost
Is Lower.
ELLIOTT STANDS PAT

City officials today were waiting for
the city civil engineering department 70
compare bids on several street improve
ments received yesterday In order 10
ascertain If there has been any cut IN
the price OF asphalt. Bids are received
upOn a TneaI foot basis, but before they
can be accurately compared, the engineer
ing department must compute them Dy
the square yard.
Complete harmony between the board
and John L. Elliott, city civil engineer
continued at the Wednesday afternoon
meeting. This Is in contrast to the
strained relations Of the last two weeks
resulting from the engineers opposition
10 the announcement of William 81. Free
man snd DR.. VI. J. Spencer Of the board
tbav Intended to eliminate concrete from
sDeCiacations upon which bids for street
work were received unless property own
ers specifically asked for the cement con-
struction.
BOARD FOLLOWS
ENGINEERS ADVICE
The board followed the recommends
ton Of the engineer Wednesday after
noon in rejecting bids upon three I'M
provements. on two Of which the engineer
complained Of high asphalt prices. He
started q movement to break the asphalt
price several days ago, insisting bids
received Feb 90 for the permanent i'm
provement Of several street were more
than 81 per square yard too high. In his
Recommendation for the rejection Of bids
for the resurfacing OF Prospect street
from State to keystone avenue and from
Shelby street to State avenue, Mr.. Ell
lott said.
IN the light Of recent bids received
IN other cities, this bid for resurfacing
with asphalt Is at least 81 q square
yard too high"
Another Circumstance regarded as pc
culiar by city officials. wes noted IN the
bids for the Prospect street improve
Inent The Marion County Construction
Company and Mead Construction Com
pany bid upon the resurfacing Of Pros
pect street from Shelby street TO state
avenue. The price per lineal foot Of
both was identical, $40.
IMPOSSIBLE To
ESTIMATE COST.
In street resurfacing Jobs It seldom Is
possible to estimate how much work viii
be required because when the surface Of
the street Is torn up It often is found the
base and curbing must be patched. The
practice is for the contractor to file bills
for extras to cover the cost OF making
such patches, which are not included in
the original contract. In order the city
might know in advance what the con-
tractor Is going to charge for such extras
the engineer asked the contractors IN
bidding upon Prospect street TO specify
prices for such work. This has not been
done heretofore.
In addition to making their Hneal foot
prices identical the Mead Construction
Company and Marion County Construc-
ton Company submitted identical bids for
the extras. Both priced concrete per
cubic yard at $3.50, binder at 50 per ton
and new concrete curbing at SIPS per lin
cal foot The only difference IN their lids
was IN the price per lineal foot for half
Of intersections, the Marion County Con-
,struction Company proposing IS and
the Mead Construction Company sS.s7.
RIVAL CONCERNS
BIDS SIMILAR.
There was a little more variance in
the bids Of the two companies for the
other end Of the Prospect street resur-
facing job. While their bids on extras
were the same as on the Shelby to
State end, the Mead Construction Com
PAW bid 1898 per lineal foot and 500
per lineaI foot for half intersections on
the State to keystone job. The Marion
County Construction Company bid 1896
per lineaI foot and $3.50 for half inter
sections.
The other resolution upon which bids
were rejected was for the grading OF
roadway and sidewalks on Stanton ave-
nue. from Gale street TO Sherman Drive.
The board referred TO the city legal
department a letter from the Mansfield
Engineering Company asking It be re-
leved from responsibility under its guar
antee bonds for damage to tie asphalt
pavement in Boulevard Place from Maple
road to Fortieth street, completed Jan.
IS, arising from failure OF the Indian
apolis Street Railway Company to pave
between its tracks.
The contracting company feared the
pavement on both sides Of the tracks
would be damaged by water seeping
under Il from the unpaved center pO--
tIon, as in the case of North Illinois
street IN the last i've years. The con-
tractors the bos-d they did not believe