States Enjoying Lower Bids for Construction Projects

The recession is causing construction contractors to branch out -- from subdivisions to road projects. And the market is now flooded, giving state more and lower bids to choose from.

1 minute read

April 10, 2009, 10:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"At Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport, a recent project to reconstruct the area around Piers C and D received six bids instead of the usual two or three. The result: The estimated $50 million project will be built for $8 million less than was budgeted, and the savings will be allocated to other projects. There were 21 bidders for a $200,000 drainage project in Carroll County, more than anyone could remember."

"'Our bottom line is more bidders and better prices,' said Maryland Transportation Secretary John Porcari. 'This we like.'"

"After years of rapidly escalating construction costs on highway and other projects due to skyrocketing prices of fuel, asphalt and steel, transportation departments are getting a break as the economy slows and construction firms that once built subdivisions and strip malls bid for government work."

"In Virginia, state officials are receiving bids from companies as far away as the Ohio Valley. Projects that typically would have drawn four or five bids are receiving 10, said Byron Coburn, state construction engineer."

Thanks to Governing Magazine

Thursday, April 9, 2009 in The Washington Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17, 2025 - San José Spotlight

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Electric 18-wheeler truck plugged into electric charger.

California Set to Increase Electric Truck Chargers by 25%

The California Transportation Commission approved funding for an additional 500 charging ports for electric trucks along some of the state’s busiest freight corridors.

July 25 - Natural Resources Defense Council

Workers in safety vests installing large solar panels in Southern California desert landscape.

21 Climate Resilience Projects Cancelled by the EPA

The federal government has pulled funding for at least 21 projects related to farming, food systems, and environmental justice to comply with one of Trump’s early executive orders.

July 25 - Civil Eats

Police clearing a homeless encampment in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Trump Executive Order on Homelessness Calls for Forced Institutionalization

The order seeks to remove legal precedents and consent decrees that prevent cities from moving unhoused people from the street to treatment centers.

July 25 - USA Today