The contractor with the low bid on a Lee County project to build a major north-south road in Bonita Springs also has the low bid for a city project on one of the most significant east-west thoroughfares.

Michigan-based Posen Construction Inc. made the lowest bid on Bonita Springs’ East Terry Street widening project, beating out a Naples company on the project that was originally projected for $6 million. City officials opened the bids Wednesday.

Posen also has the low bid on the Three Oaks Parkway/Imperial Street/Livingston Road extension project, which would link the north-south roads in the eastern part of the county. Lee County Department of Transportation is in charge of that project.

Neither the Three Oaks nor East Terry projects have been officially awarded to Posen, but the governments typically chooses the low bidder.

The next available date for the Bonita Springs City Council to select Posen as the official contractor is Feb. 15, although it is likely the selection will be moved to a March council meeting.

For Terry Street, Posen had a bid of $5.736 million while Better Roads, Inc. of Naples bid $5.773 million.

When the project is complete in about a year, East Terry Street will be four lanes from Old 41 to the new Three Oaks/Imperial Parkway north-south thoroughfare.

“Two of the three legs on Imperial will be done by the same contractor,” City Manager Gary Price said. “We are dealing with all the same people, and that makes it easier.”

Council members don’t have to go with the lowest bidder if they believe another contractor will be more responsible.

There would have to be a very large reason for the council to pay an extra $37,000 for the East Terry Street widening, Councilman Ben Nelson said.

“It is pretty nice to have it be competitive like that,” Nelson said. “We should be so lucky on the rest of the road projects.”

Even though both bids came in under the $6 million price tag previously discussed for the project, Price said they were still 18 percent over the city’s estimated cost.

In its bid projections, Posen had a higher estimate than Better Roads on its cost to expand the Leitner Street bridge. The expense was almost twice as much as the other company offered.

The city public works manager will talk with Posen to try to reduce the cost on the bridge, Price said.

In discussions about the East Terry Street project, the city has stressed the need for it to be complete before the Three Oaks extension is done.

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