The City Council voted 5-1 to cover $712,922 more for the Mount Vernon Highway path after an asphalt estimate came in short. The contract is now $13.23 million.
Updated Oct. 15: the City Council approved both items Oct. 6. The time extension passed unanimously and the budget amendment passed 5-1, the city’s summary minutes show. Details are under “The decision” below.
The Mount Vernon Highway multi-use path will cost $712,922 more than its previous contract. The extra cost comes mostly from asphalt the design engineer left out of the bid quantities, according to a city staff memo.
The Sandy Springs City Council was asked Oct. 6 to approve the money. With its approval, the construction contract with Excellere Construction LLC rises to $13,230,150.53. The contract was awarded at $12,388,000 in February 2024.
The figures are in the agenda packet for the Oct. 6 City Council meeting, items 2026-265 and 2026-266.
What the project is
The city’s project page describes the work, project TS-192, on Mount Vernon Highway between the Sandy Springs Library and the Sandy Springs MARTA station. It includes:
- a multi-use path on the south side of the road
- 6-foot sidewalks on the north side
- new turn lanes at Glenridge Drive, Barfield Road, Crestline Parkway, Peachtree Dunwoody Road and Perimeter Center West
- traffic signal upgrades
It is paid for from the 2016 transportation sales tax (TSPLOST) and the Perimeter Community Improvement District, the page said.
Where the extra money goes
The contract pays a fixed price per unit of work, so the final bill depends on how much was actually built. Staff found that the quantities in the original bid did not match the approved construction plans. The memo listed the largest increases:
| Item | Increase |
|---|---|
| Paving and asphalt | $1,077,575.25 |
| Gravity walls and stone facing | $237,317.39 |
Savings on other line items offset part of those increases. The memo said the contractor moved the storm water pipes so water lines did not have to be relocated, for example.
The biggest single cause was “an asphalt leveling quantity error by the engineer of record,” the memo said. The city ordered a third-party survey of the asphalt. It found the contractor had built the road as designed. Staff also said patching was needed because laying new asphalt over failing pavement would have shortened the road’s life.
How it is paid for
The amendment moves $700,000 from the uncommitted balance of the 2016 TSPLOST program into the project. Staff said that leaves enough in the project budget to cover the work. The memo noted that TSPLOST 2016 sales taxes have stopped coming in.
The memo’s opening line gives the amendment as $712,922.13, while the budget entry and the ordinance both say $700,000. The $712,922.13 figure is the gap between the current contract and the new total.
Six earlier change orders added $129,228.40 to the contract. Over its life, the contract has grown from $12,388,000 to $13,230,150.53, about 7%.
The deadline that slipped
The contract was due to be finished April 27, 2026. A separate item asks the council to extend it to Sept. 18, 2026, after the fact, at no extra cost. Staff gave this timeline:
- March 11: the city told Excellere to stop the remaining paving while the quantities were checked.
- April 27: the completion date passed. The city charged the contractor liquidated damages for 25 days of unexcused delay. The memo does not give the amount.
- Aug. 28: the city declared the project substantially complete.
- Sept. 18: the deadline for the final punch-list items.
The extension keeps the 25 days of damages in place, the memo said.
The decision
The council met Oct. 6. The city’s summary minutes, posted for approval at the Oct. 20 meeting, record:
- Change order No. 7 (the time extension): approved unanimously.
- The budget amendment: approved 5-1. Council members Andrew J. Chinsky, John Paulson, Mary Ford, Melissa Mular and Melody Kelley voted yes. Frank Roberts voted no.
Public Works Director William H. Martin Jr. told the council the increase came from actual paving and wall quantities exceeding the bid estimates. He said final completion and acceptance came on or before Sept. 18, the minutes said.
What it means for you
- The project is finished. This vote settled the bill and does not add new road work.
- The money comes from transportation sales tax already collected, not from new taxes.
- The council next meets Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the Studio Theatre at City Hall, 1 Galambos Way. The city takes public comment online as well.
- Our road construction and closures page tracks other work across the city.
Have your say