Merced City Council mulls contract to fix bridges over Bear Creek

The Merced City Council will be asked Monday to approve a contract for work on the bridges on M and G streets, according to city records.

The council will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 678 W. 18th St. The regular meeting is preceded by a closed session, which begins at 5:45 p.m.

City staffers have recommended awarding the $2.7 million bridge contract to Viking Construction Co. of Rancho Cordova, according to records. The other bidder on the project was Sacramento-based Myers & Sons Construction, which submitted a higher bid.

The work to be done on each bridge, which pass over Bear Creek, includes rehabilitation of the structures, the creek channel and the roadways, records show. There will be traffic disruptions during the construction work, staffers said.

Plans include decorative light fixtures across the M Street structure and new flagpoles. Light fixtures under both bridges for the bike path beneath the bridge will be repaired, records show.

During the meeting, city staff also will report on Merced’s options for industrial development and give an update on the city’s false-alarm ordinance.

The council previously heard that the city saw 26,258 alarm calls from 2011 to 2015, according to Marvin Dillsaver, communications supervisor for Merced police. Of those, all but 525, or 1.7 percent, were false alarms, which leaders say is a drag on police resources.

This story was originally published February 5, 2017 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Merced City Council mulls contract to fix bridges over Bear Creek."