Arizona bypass contract quietly awarded

KINGMAN, Ariz. -- It's one of the largest contract awards in the history of the Arizona Department of Transportation's Kingman District that covers all of Mohave County.

The road improvement project will lead to the Arizona approach for the Colorado River bridge that will serve as a bypass option for motorists who now have to drive over Hoover Dam when traveling between Arizona and Nevada.

Apparently, however, no one wants to talk about it.

The agency frequently releases details about highway improvement projects in the range of a million dollars or more. But nothing was issued after the Arizona Transportation Board awarded a $71.3 million contract to FNF Construction during a meeting in Wickenberg on Saturday.

Award of contract came despite a protest by Kent, Washington-based Scarsella Bros. Inc. The company was originally deemed to be the low bidder among nine firms that submitted proposals to widen a tough-terrain 15-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 93.

Scarsella lawyer Jason Ebe filed a letter of protest with the Transportation Department after it was learned that agency staff was passing over the Scarsella bid of $69.8 million and recommending the contract be awarded to FNF.

Scarsella lawyers did not respond to inquiries into whether they might appeal the decision.

A spokeswoman for FNF declined comment until "we have the blessing of ADOT."