Lewis and Clark County Seeks Bids for Courthouse Sidewalk and ADA Upgrades

Pedestrians who cut through the courthouse block on North Ewing Street in downtown Helena should expect torn-up concrete and detours this construction season. Lewis and Clark County has issued a formal Invitation for Bids for its Courthouse Sidewalk Improvements project, and the window for contractors to compete closes at 4:00 PM on April 13.

The project targets the full western sidewalk along North Ewing Street, with partial curb and gutter replacement on the east side as well. Beyond patching concrete, the scope includes roadway grading, new asphalt pavement, and ADA upgrades designed to bring the pedestrian environment up to federal accessibility standards. That combination of surface and grade work means courthouse visitors, neighboring businesses, and anyone crossing downtown on foot could face restricted access along the block for the duration of construction.

No engineer's estimate has been released publicly, so the full cost to county taxpayers will not be known until bids are unsealed. That opening happens at 9:00 AM on April 14 in Room 330 of the City-County Administrative Building, one day after the submission deadline, and it is open to the public.

Contractors interested in bidding have one remaining opportunity to walk the site before the deadline: a pre-bid conference and tour is set for 1:00 PM on April 6 at the courthouse's east entrance on Ewing Street. The county's solicitation restricts all project questions and communications to a single point of contact, Jeremy Herring, a licensed professional engineer at Sanbell. The provision, described in the bid documents as a "cone of silence," bars bidders from contacting any other county official about the project, a safeguard designed to keep the competition fair and the process clean.

Firms submitting bids must back them with a bid security equal to at least 10% of their total bid amount. The winning contractor will then be required to post both performance and payment bonds each equaling the full contract value. All contractors and subcontractors must also be registered with the Montana Department of Labor and Industry before work begins.

Bid documents and contract specifications are available through the Lewis and Clark County procurement page, with addenda expected before the April 13 deadline.