LINDEN &045; The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) will begin letting bids for sections of the Chickasaw State Park and Linden Bypass in late July.

Three sections of the bypass are set to begin in ALDOT’s 2007 fiscal year plan. The department plans to begin installation of around eight miles of road for the project at an estimated cost ranging from $17,648 to $26,474.

The letting opens July 27 and all bids will be taken for the period of one day. The bids will be taken by ALDOT in Montgomery, where the bid decision-making process takes place.

Harris said at the end of the letting day the department appears to know which company submitted the lowest bid, but they must be reviewed and validated by the department. He said the bids are then sent to the Federal Highway Administration offices in Montgomery for further review.

Once the bids are approved by both entities, Harris said the department and bid winner will prepare a contract and send a notice for the company to proceed. He said after the notice the companies usually have 15 days to mobilize and start working on the job.

Wallace said construction of projects usually starts a couple of months after bid and the by pass construction could be gin in late summer or early fall. He said, however, that unforeseen circumstances could push the beginning of construction to next year.

Wallace said it would be several years before the roads would be complete after work is started on the grade. ALDOT’s five-year fiscal plan has projects in 2009 and 2010 that will be let in connection with the bypass.