KINGMAN — The Andy Devine Avenue Improvement project is nearing completion downtown, but unforeseen costs have delayed its completion. The City of Kingman voted at its last city council meeting to authorize $300,000 to fill this gap. The question of why the city was being asked to pay this amount also came up at the meeting.
Construction on Andy Devine began last November for the project which aims to move the driveway into the Powerhouse so that it is in alignment with First Street. Other improvements in this project include a new median, sidewalk, curb and gutter that will be added to the location of the driveway as well. Existing stop signs will also be replaced with solar-powered flashing stop signs.
The original projected cost for the project was just over $1 million and covers improvements to Andy Devine from Second Street down to Old Route 66, just before the Mohave Museum of History and Arts.
During construction, however, many underground objects were discovered that were not on the original plans, such as abandoned pipes and water mains. This drove up the cost of the project and caused the delay.
The City of Kingman originally voted on the project on April 18, 2023, when it agreed to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).
The city received a grant under the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), which covered most of the cost for the project. However, the contract requires the City of Kingman to pay any amount over the HSIP awarded amount.
The Northwest District Administrator for ADOT, Anthony Brozich, appeared at the recent meeting to answer questions. He informed the council that under the HSIP program, the City of Kingman agrees to pay any amount in excess of the budgeted amount for the project.
Vice Mayor Cherish Sammelli initially voiced concern that the city had no say in who the engineer for the project would be. She also pointed out that the original estimate came in $60,000 over budget, and that ADOT was not agreeing to fix potholes.
Brozich countered that it was inaccurate to say the city was not involved in every phase of the project. He also pointed out that the next lowest bid for the project was $288,000 more than the contractor that was chosen. ADOT does not typically fix potholes under an HSIP-funded project, he told the council, especially when the request originated with the city.
The exchange ended cordially, though, and the city ultimately approved the $300,000 funds without objection. Mayor Ken Watkins said the funds would come from the City Highway User Fund. ADOT Administrator Brozich said the project is scheduled to be complete by the end of the month.
Alan Hayman
