SIMI VALLEY : Firm Wins Contract to Build Connector

A Simi Valley construction firm has been awarded the contract to build the long-awaited connector for the Simi Valley and Moorpark freeways, and work is expected to begin in early April, officials said Wednesday.

C. A. Rasmussen Inc.’s bid of $33,097,902 was the lowest submitted by eight contractors, said Bill Charbonneau, director of construction and maintenance projects in Ventura County for the California Department of Transportation. Rasmussen, which will be the project manager, will do the work with Sacramento-based C. C. Myers Inc., a bridge-building company.

Rasmussen spokeswoman Connie Ferrey said construction will begin within the next five weeks. The project is expected to take two years.

The four-lane connector, which has been in the planning stages for more than six years, will close a 2.2-mile gap where the Simi Valley and Moorpark freeways end in Moorpark. Ferrey said Rasmussen does not expect traffic to be interrupted during construction.

Rasmussen’s bid, which was $10 million lower than transportation officials had estimated for the project, was approved Monday after a 30-day review by Caltrans officials, Charbonneau said. Because Rasmussen is a local firm, it was able to substantially reduce the cost of the project, he said.