LA 557: LA 4 - Ouachita P/L Route LA 557 Caldwell Parish - Drainage - Paving

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is requesting bids for construction improvements to LA 557 from its junction with LA 4 to the Caldwell/Ouachita Parish line in Caldwell Parish, covering 3.584 miles, with bids due September 9, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. through www.bidx.com. Contractors must be licensed under LA R.S. 37:2150–2165 for Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction, and online bidder registration is mandatory with a 24-hour advance deadline.

The scope encompasses clearing and grubbing, grading, drainage structures, Class II base course, pavement patching, milling of asphalt pavement, asphalt surface treatment, asphalt concrete overlay, and related work. The contract specifies concrete pavement requirements including International Roughness Index surface tolerance, concrete strength and thickness acceptance criteria, diamond grinding and grooving operations, and rehabilitation work such as joint cleaning, crack sealing, and pavement patching. The contractor must maintain traffic throughout the project with a maximum 14-day road closure for realignment.

The estimated contract value ranges from $2.5 million to $5 million. The contract time is 60 working days for completion, with an assembly period of 30 calendar days permitted before regular construction operations begin. The project includes payment adjustments for asphalt cements, fuels, and steel when costs vary more than 5 percent from established base prices. Insurance requirements include Workers Compensation, Commercial General Liability (combined single limits from $1 million to $5 million depending on project cost), Owner's and Contractor's Protective Liability, and Business Automobile Liability, with all policies requiring A.M. Best ratings of A-:VI or higher. No work is permitted during specified holiday periods and weather event preparations.

Project Engineer Jonah Blackwell and Project Manager James Dupree oversee the work. Bid downloads are held at LA DOTD Headquarters in Baton Rouge.