Casey Awards $917,745 Contract for I-70 Sewer and Water Extension

Casey City Council Meeting | July 6, 2026

Article Summary: The Casey City Council unanimously awarded a $917,745.12 contract to B&T Drainage Inc. for the sewer and water portion of the I-70 and Illinois Route 49 interchange utility extension, roughly $157,000 under the engineer’s estimate.

I-70 Utility Extension Key Points:

• B&T Drainage Inc. submitted the low bid of $917,745.12, well below HWC Engineering’s $1,074,700 estimate; the only other bid, from Dashiell Contracting Inc., came in at $1,314,421.
• The project includes a new water main under Illinois Route 49, gravity sanitary sewer, a new duplex submersible lift station and a sanitary force main drilled under Interstate 70.
• Director of Public Works Ryan Staley said earlier boring work at the interchange has gone smoothly and B&T will next assist with the electric portion along the interstate right-of-way.
• Contract signing and the bond process begin immediately following Monday’s approval.

CASEY — The Casey City Council on Monday, July 6, 2026, unanimously approved Resolution #070626A, awarding a $917,745.12 construction contract to B&T Drainage Inc. for the sewer and water phase of the city’s utility extension to the Interstate 70 and Illinois Route 49 interchange.

Director of Public Works Ryan Staley told the council the work went out to bid and B&T Drainage was the apparent low bidder. “It was a complete bid, and HWC, the engineers of record, and myself both recommend the approval of that work,” Staley said. Alderman Steve Jenkins made the motion to approve, and the roll call passed unanimously.

According to a bid review letter from HWC Engineering project manager Steven J. Shannon, two bids were opened June 17, 2026. B&T Drainage’s $917,745.12 unit-price bid was complete and conformed with bidding requirements, while Dashiell Contracting Inc. bid $1,314,421. The engineer’s estimate for the work was $1,074,700, meaning the winning bid came in about 15 percent below projections. HWC recommended the award contingent on funding and legal review.

What the Project Builds

The contract covers extension of a 6-inch water main underneath Route 49, installation of 8-inch gravity sanitary sewer, a new duplex submersible lift station, and a 4-inch sanitary force main installed by directional drill underneath I-70. The force main will discharge into an existing manhole adjacent to the McDonald’s drive, and the contract includes all electrical work and controls at the new lift station. The largest line items in B&T’s certified bid tabulation include $255,005 for the lift station, $193,182 for pump controls and electrical, and $91,728 to directionally drill the force main under the interstate inside a 12-inch casing.

“After it’s approved tonight, we get it signed and I’ll start the contracts and bond process,” Staley said.

The award is the second major piece of the interchange utility push handed to B&T Drainage, which received the utility line extension boring contract under Resolution #060126B at the council’s June 1 meeting. Staley reported that the earlier boring work is essentially complete underneath I-70 and Route 49 and north of the McDonald’s area, and that B&T will now help the city with the electric portion of the extension along the interstate right-of-way.

“Everything’s going really smoothly with that so far,” Staley said. “We’ve been thrilled — they’ve done a really good job for us.”

The city’s newly adopted fiscal year 2027 appropriations ordinance carries I-70 project lines across four utility funds — $1,875,000 in the sewer fund, $312,500 in electric, $250,000 in gas and $87,500 in water — reflecting the scale of the interchange buildout, which city officials view as groundwork for development at the city’s I-70 gateway.