The Kalispel Tribe of Indians has opted to re-bid its planned project to move and reconstruct a stretch of Sprague Avenue just south of the Northern Quest Resort & Casino, in Airway Heights.

Brandon Haugen, manager of the Kalispel Development Co., says the decision to rebid mostly due to some last-minute changes the tribe decided to make to the project's construction schedule.

"There were some opportunities if we went to re-bid to change things in the bidding process itself, which would save money and ultimately save time," Haugen says. "We wanted to bid with new schedule requirements and to incorporate cost savings."

Intended to make way for future development of land the tribe owns, the project will involve rebuilding a 3,000-foot-long existing stretch of Sprague located south of Northern Quest. That section of Sprague is located between Hayford Road and the Washington state Department of Corrections Center property, at 11919 W. Sprague.

The tribe's plans are to move that stretch of the road about 800 feet south of the existing Sprague-Hayford junction. From there, the new roadway gradually will curve west and north to meet the current stretch of Sprague just east of the prison.

Moving the stretch of road also provides infrastructure for the development of 250 acres of tribe-owned land located directly south of the casino. The project also would provide more pedestrian-friendly access between the casino and the eventual—but at this time unplanned—development south of it.

Haugen says the tribe's decision to re-bid also was influenced by some difficulty in securing a project contract with the apparent low bidder during the first round of competitive bids in September. Eller Corp., of Newman Lake, was that low bidder at about $2.8 million.

Haugen adds that Eller has expressed interest in submitting a second bid package. He says the tribe's bid deadline was Nov.16, and it hoped to receive new bids this week at about the same dollar figure or below Eller's former low bid.

Despite the rebidding, Haugen says that some preliminary utility work should begin before the end of the year. The city of Airway Heights is funding that portion of the project while the tribe is paying for the new road's construction.

The project's overall completion date is set for the middle of next summer, he says.

The Kalispel Development Co. is a venture owned and overseen by the Kalispel Tribal Economic Authority that handles the tribe's real estate projects.