ROCHELLE — The Rochelle City Council on Monday night approved an ordinance awarding a contract to Michels for construction of a new 34.5 kV transmission line connecting the Ritchie Road Substation to the new Centerpoint Substation. The project is intended to improve reliability and system redundancy for Rochelle Municipal Utilities while supporting future commercial and industrial growth on the west side of the service area. Four bids were received following a competitive bidding process, with Michels submitting a bid of $11,890,929.51. Although Helm Electric submitted the lowest bid at $10,000,118.37, city consultants determined the firm lacked sufficient experience with large scale transmission projects of this size and complexity. The approved contract exceeds the April 2023 engineer estimate of $7.99 million due to upgraded line design, added underground construction, and higher material and construction costs. The project will be funded through electric funds, with $10.4 million budgeted for the work.
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