Columbus' plans to officially break ground on a fourth water treatment plant this month are on hold after no contractors bid on the massive construction project.
City-contracted designers estimated the Home Road Water Plant planned for southwest Delaware County would cost about $1.87 billion to build. It's a whale of a contract, one of the largest public infrastructure contracts in state history, but the money wasn't enticing enough. After six months of advertising for bids, no one submitted a proposal by the Aug. 26 deadline. Now, the city will have to figure out how to get the plant built.
The project has already driven higher than normal water rate increases for customers in the city and suburbs that rely on Columbus water. If the price tag
for the project grows, Columbus City Council could pass even larger bill increases this fall for 2027.
Columbus Water & Power Deputy Director Ken Heigel told The Dispatch the plant may now be finished in 2033 instead of 2032 because of the lack of a bid, but called it a "very small blip in the process."
There are only a few construction companies in central Ohio that can handle a project this massive. One of them, Kokosing Construction, is currently doing the pre-construction work to level the site for the fourth plant at the intersection of Home and Dublin roads in Concord Township. Kokosing is the only company that paid to pull the plans for the project during the bid window, so city officials expected Kokosing to submit a bid.
Heigel said the city doesn't know why Kokosing didn't bid on the project.
Kokosing Construction leadership declined to comment for this article.
Heigel said the city is looking into whether the estimated contract price will have to increase, but the city is hoping that's not the reason Kokosing didn't bid.
"We don't want water rates to increase any more than they have to," Heigel said. "We know that this is a large project for Columbus Water & Power and we're taking our due diligence to make sure we manage the total project cost."
Columbus City Councilmember Christopher Wyche, chair of the council's Public Utilities & Sustainability Committee, said the longer the city delays building the project, the more expensive it will become.
Heigel and Wyche both said the city worked with multiple consultants to ensure the estimated cost was accurate.
"Even if a contractor thought the work would cost more, they would just typically put in a higher bid, and so the fact that we didn't get that either is also somewhat concerning," Wyche said.
Over the last year, Wyche has advocated for Columbus Water & Power to ensure water-guzzling businesses pay their fair share for water infrastructure so costs don't overburden residential customers.
Wyche will hold another hearing on Sept. 16 on his proposed regulations on data centers, including a proposal to ensure data center customers pay to cover the cost of infrastructure built for their peak water use.
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus' estimated $1.87B water plant in limbo after getting no bids
