PRIEST RIVER — There was no shortage of frustration by City Council members on Monday as costs continue to rise on the Highway 57 sidewalk project.

The frustration surfaced when a change order request came through from NNAC Construction, the company contracted for the sidewalk project. Approximately $23,000 was added to the cost of the project as a deeper layer of asphalt than was originally specified is required along the state highway, said Stuart Malley from Allwest Testing, the inspector for the project. The increased depth was a requirement of the Idaho Transportation Department, added Mayor Jim Martin, though it was not reflected in the approved bid with the contractor.

"From an engineering perspective, it probably is the right thing to do, but it comes at a substantial cost to the city," Malley said.

The depth of the asphalt along that strip was not the only issue, as Malley said it will take about 30 more tons of hot mix to create the minimum required grade on driveway approaches along the construction area. The plans specify it must be less than a 10-percent grade, he said. For the overrun, the contractor — NNAC Construction —  agreed to $267 per ton, versus the initial $367, Malley said.

The project is funded primarily through a $424,918 ITD Transportation Alternatives Program grant.

In addition to sidewalks, raised curbs and gutters, the project features rectangular rapid flashing beacons. The two beacons will be located on Highway 57, with one at Jackson Avenue and one at the crosswalk by Mac's. Malley said the city can save money on the beacons by installing them themselves, rather than having the contractor do it. The beacons are self-contained and solar powered, he said, so it would be similar to installing a street sign.

Crews are slated to move on to sidewalk improvements along Jefferson Avenue in the next couple weeks, however Malley said the city would need to find an additional $5,000 to continue with that portion and keep the beacons. The project had already been scaled back once, removing Tenth Street sidewalk improvements due to funding constraints, and council members were reluctant to remove Jefferson or the beacons from the project. As Monday was the start of a new fiscal year for the city, Martin said they could pull $5,000 from the streets budget to cover the cost.

"It amazes me that at this point in the project we're talking about driveways, and the depth of the asphalt, and the overrun on the depth of the asphalt, and the taper on the asphalt like they weren't there when we originally had it engineered," said Councilman Greg Edwards.

His sentiments were echoed by Councilwoman Candy Turner who said the project has gone backward.

"I just feel like, every time we turn around, we find out something new that we didn't know about," Turner said.

It was shortly after this statement that Malley pointed to another issue that arose last week in the construction process. Forty cubic yards of concrete was placed with high air, which can cause problems in the strength of the sidewalk. Malley said the contract states that the concrete can be rejected by the city, in which case crews would have to remove and replace it, or it could be left in place at a 50-percent pay factor. The latter would save the city $8,000 to put toward the other portions of the project, but council members will not make a decision until tests come back to confirm the strength.

The test results are slated to come back this week, so the item was tabled for further discussion at a special meeting next Monday.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.