The project to replace the aging Saw Mill Road bridge is still inching forward as the Board of Selectmen (BOS) approved a major step in the process last week, approving a contract with Newington-based consulting and engineering firm WMC to begin surveying the site before a bid is officially entered.

The town originally solicited a design proposal in 2017 when a state-mandated assessment determined the bridge was in need of replacement (though still safe to use). Replacing the bridge, the cost of which is mostly covered by federal grant money, was originally meant to take place this past summer, with an estimated total cost of around $2.5 million.

Town Engineer Janice Plaziak said that the design phase just finished recently, and now has an estimated total cost of $3.4 million, though that could be lower based on WMC’s proposal and subsequent bids. Construction is slated to begin in spring, she said.

“It took a little longer with the different design scenarios we had to go through than was expected from my end in terms of the construction season. I had just come on board, I wasn’t totally up to speed as to where we were at with the project,” Plaziak told the Courier. “We’re on track now for construction next construction season.”

Eighty percent of all costs are covered by the federal government, according to Plaziak. She told the Courier last fall that state grants would cover the town’s portion.

The updated cost had just been passed on to First Selectman Matt Hoey and Finance Director Maryjane Malvasi, Plaziak said, “to take a look at our local match.”

The town will still have to go out to bid for the actual construction of the bridge, which could happen this winter, Plaziak said.

Because the funding is coming through the federal government and the project is being overseen by the state Department of Transportation, the process for approving a contract is different than what Guilford usually follows, which caused some confusion among BOS members.

Plaziak and a committee interviewed more than a dozen candidates, she said, and eventually came up with a shortlist, ranking those firms purely on their qualifications and a letter of interest. The BOS then approved WMC based on the committee’s rankings and recommendation, but will have to again approve the firm’s final proposal with a dollar amount attached once it has a chance to survey the site.

Normally, the BOS approves a contract with a specific price and proposal attached, which seemed to confuse the selectmen, though Plaziak said procedures followed for the bridge are “industry standard” and have been used by Guilford before for projects with federal funding sources.

If the BOS is dissatisfied with the cost or any other element of the proposal, the town can likely go back to its shortlist, according to Plaziak.

“A lot of times it’s qualifications-based first, and then you negotiate your scope and your proposal from there, but it’s just a little different than our purchasing procedure policy here in Guilford,” Plaziak said.

Plaziak said the over price would “hopefully” be lower following the proposal and bids.

Once construction begins, the bridge will be entirely shut down and impassable, according to Plaziak. The town will keep residents updated on exactly when that will occur, she said.