PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners accepted a road-construction bid Tuesday that just a week ago they thought was too high.

They awarded a $781,688 contract to Bruch & Bruch Construction Inc. of Port Angeles to bury utility lines along Hendrickson Road, build a section of the Olympic Discovery Trail atop them and improve the Sequim-area road itself.

On Feb. 14, they were startled that the contractor’s bid exceeded their engineer’s estimate of $686,000.

Their professed surprise drew fire from Bruch & Bruch project manager Sean Coleman.

He wrote in a letter published Sunday in Peninsula Daily News that building materials and fuel costs had risen 60 percent over the past two years.

Another construction spokesman, George Peabody of Lakeside Industries, said fuel prices affected not only equipment operation but also production and transportation that use diesel fuel.

‘Escalating out of sight’

“It’s just a compounding thing all down the line,” he told the PDN.

“Everything is escalating out of sight, and we’re trying to recoup costs.”

As for the Hendrickson Road project, county road engineer Don McInnes told commissioners Tuesday: “I don’t think it would be cheaper to bid it again.”

McInnes added that the project cost could drop if Bruch & Bruch were allowed to close Hendrickson Road to through traffic instead of hiring flaggers.