Cape Girardeau County awards $2 million paving contract, costs significantly up

This story is updated.

The cost of asphalt paving has risen significantly in the past year and Cape Girardeau County’s commissioners, as a result, will not be able to overlay as many county roads as originally intended.

On Monday, the commissioners OK’d a $1,999,088.92 contract with the low bidder, Cape Girardeau’s Apex Paving.

Poplar Bluff’s Pace Construction also bid on the work.

First District Commissioner Paul Koeper said asphalt now costs $71.82 per ton. A year ago, the expense was $49.50 per ton.

“We’ve had to take a few overlays out, a few miles worth, because the price was so high,” Koeper said.

County officials said based on the 2021 cost, they’d earlier estimated the price of 2022 overlays to be in the neighborhood of $1.5 million.

Koeper said the county will attempt to bring the actual expenditure more in line with the estimate toward the end of the year.

Commissioners also approved a $25,000 contract for patching with Delta Asphalt of Cape Girardeau.

Other action

• Commissioners voted formally to terminate a website maintenance contract with Element 74. B&B Media of Cape Girardeau now maintains www.capecounty.us.
• Lt. Alex Broch of Jackson Police Department was appointed to the county’s 911 board, succeeding Capt. Scott Eakers.
• Shannon Truxel, Ward 5 Cape Girardeau city councilwoman, was named to the Enhanced Enterprise Zone Board, succeeding Ward 4 Councilman Robbie Guard.