ARDOT sets Jan. 20 letting for Highway 49 Mississippi River bridge rehab: deck replacement, steel repairs and a polymer overlay

The Arkansas Department of Transportation has advertised Job 110812, the rehabilitation of the Mississippi River bridge on Highway 49 in Phillips County, for its Jan. 20, 2027 letting. It is the only job ARDOT lists for that date so far, and it is in the afternoon session.

The notice says the purpose is to rehabilitate the bridge, including deck replacement and a polymer overlay. The project is 1.163 miles long on Route 49, Section 11, and is federally funded under project NHPP-PRTT-HIPBIP-0054(31).

What the work involves

The notice lists 62 item lines. Among the largest:

• Polymer overlay: 16,167 square yards, plus 2,923.9 square feet of deck repair for polymer overlays
• Cleaning and painting existing structural steel: 6,484 tons
• Low-carbon, chromium reinforcing steel (Grade 100): 413,880 pounds, plus 115,180 pounds of epoxy-coated Grade 60 bar
• Structural steel in truss spans: 267,350 pounds of A709 Grade 36 and 3,870 pounds of Grade 50W
• Repairs: 550 rivet replacements, 51 cross beam replacements, 48 floor beam stiffener repairs and nine stringer pin-and-hanger repairs
• Five shoring items for the main truss span and approach spans, and a lump sum to modify existing bridge structure No. 02899

The contractor must also furnish a field office and provide a traffic control supervisor. Traffic will be managed with 5,266 feet of new precast concrete barrier and 8,466 feet of relocated barrier. The job also includes bridge jacking, elastomeric bearings, 596 feet of preformed silicone joint, navigation and obstruction lighting removal, and disposal of hazardous waste at one site.

Time is part of the bid

Like the Crawford County interstate job in November, the proposal uses ARDOT's "Site Use (A+C Method) - Calendar Day Contract" special provision: bidders state how many calendar days they need. Three trainees are required.

ARDOT had already flagged the job. Its notices to contractors page includes "Job 110812 – Constructability Review," dated Oct. 24, 2025.

Who holds proposals

ARDOT's proposal holder list for the job shows nine firms. Only one, Mobley Contractors of Morrilton, has an Arkansas address. The others are Abhe & Svoboda (Jordan, Minn.), American Contracting & Services (Jeffersonville, Ind.), Cekra (Wilmington, N.C.), Gibson & Associates (Balch Springs, Texas), Key, LLC (Madison, Miss.), Kraemer North America (Plain, Wis.), Massman Construction Co. (Overland Park, Kan.) and Southern Road & Bridge (Palm Harbor, Fla.). Holding a proposal does not commit a firm to bid.

For the supply chain

The item list points to work for steel fabricators and erectors, coating contractors, concrete and rebar suppliers, traffic control firms and hazardous waste handlers. Primes must file a bidders list with ARDOT naming every subcontractor, trucker and supplier that quoted on a federally funded job. Arkansas also requires a payment bond in the full contract amount on public construction contracts over $50,000 (Ark. Code § 18-44-503).

Roadway work on the approaches is modest by comparison: 4,930 square yards of cold milling, 538 tons of asphalt surface course, 94.8 cubic yards of approach slabs, 612 square feet of signs and 25,297 feet of construction pavement markings.

Bidding

The job is in the afternoon session, so electronic bids are due by 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2027. ARDOT accepts only internet bids through Bid Express, and prime bidders must be prequalified. Firms that bid federally funded ARDOT jobs must also file bidders lists to keep receiving proposals.

Phillips County is in ARDOT District 1, based in Wynne. The same county has a chip seal and fog seal job on about 9.7 miles of Highway 85 (Job A10059) on the Nov. 4 letting, with a Nov. 24, 2027 completion date. Atlas Asphalt of Batesville was its only proposal holder on Oct. 28. See the Phillips County hub and our bids page.