Gebhard Road to Get Much-Needed Repair

Fayette County Commissioners Court awarded a $387,000 bid to Jacquez Construction and Trucking LLC for a Cummins Creek bank stabilization project along Gebhard Road.

Flooding from Hurricane Harvey back in 2017 gouged through the bank of Cummins Creek along Gebhard Road between Warrenton and Willow Springs.. The edge of the bank now drops off just a step away from pavement on Gebhard Road - a little too close for comfort.

“When the next big rain comes, we’re going to lose that road,” Weber said at the meeting Thursday.

Fayette County received grant money from the US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to pay for the project. The County will have to contribute 10 percent toward the project’s cost.

The project involves installing rock riprap along the bank to protect the soil from washing away.

The County received four bids for the project, but the low and high bid were rejected because the companies did not submit them in duplicate, as specified in the bid announcement. The rejected low bid from WJC Constructors Service LLC was for $277,006 - more than $100,000 less than the bid from Jacquez.

NRCS recommended Jacquez despite the company’s limited experience with such projects.

“There is no indication that Jacquez Construction has previously worked on projects with NRCS nor do they have experience with bank stabilization,” NRCS engineer Shane Ice wrote in a letter to the County. “Discussions with the contractor conclude that they have the appropriate equipment and the general construction knowledge to complete this project.”

Ice added, “References that were contacted indicated quality and timely work performed by Jacquez Construction.”