CA NP MOJA 11(2) 10(2) KELBAKER, KELSO-CIMA, CIMA and MORNING STAR MINE ROADS

The Federal Highway Administration, Central Federal Lands Highway Division, solicited bids for road improvements across approximately 56.5 miles within Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County, California, with bids due and opened May 19, 2026. This is full and open competition with HUBZone price preference; no narrow set-aside applies.

Work encompasses full-depth reclamation and asphalt resurfacing of 19.3 miles of Kelso-Cima Road, 22.3 miles of South Kelbaker Road, and 14.9 miles of Morningstar Mine Road, including roadway widening to a consistent 26 feet, reinforcement of 48 low-water crossings (11 on South Kelbaker, 37 on Kelso-Cima) with buried concrete barriers and riprap revetment, minor horizontal and vertical realignment in select areas, rumble strips, signing, pavement markings, and paved pullouts. Morningstar Mine Road receives full-depth reclamation with surface-course aggregate placement. Place of performance is Cima, California. The NAICS code is 237310, Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction; PSC is Y1LB.

The estimated cost range was $80 million to $120 million. Schedule A base work requires completion by June 26, 2028 (23 months from a planned Notice to Proceed of June 22, 2026); optional Schedules X and Y extend completion to August 21, 2028 and October 9, 2028, respectively. Liquidated damages are $7,600 per calendar day. Six contractors submitted responsive bids on May 19, 2026, ranging from Las Vegas Paving's low of $53,892,000 (Schedule A) to Steve Manning Construction's high of $93,313,165 (Schedule A), with an engineer's estimate of $70,722,000 (Schedule A).

The project is located in a natural resource–sensitive area subject to environmental constraints affecting construction scheduling and operations. Work requires desert tortoise barrier fence installation prior to ground-disturbing activities, biologist monitoring during the active tortoise season (March 1 through October 31), a 20-acre limit on simultaneous exposed soil, and Union Pacific Railroad flagging within 25 feet of tracks. Two equal 1.5-inch asphalt lifts (not a single 3-inch lift) are required. The FHWA is responsible for UPRR force account costs ($30,000–$60,000), Right of Entry fees, NDOT encroachment permits, and utility relocations. Contractors may reuse existing asphalt and aggregate as recycled material meeting Section 304 gradation. No temporary asphalt plant is permitted within the preserve, and no Commercial Use Authorization is required. Five amendments were issued between April 17 and May 13, 2026, addressing schedule modifications, bid item reclassifications, exposed soil acreage limits, tortoise fence sequencing, aggregate specifications, and removal of office trailer requirements.