YOUNGSTOWN –Youngstown’s water commissioner said he was “flabbergasted” when the apparent low bid for a major water main and lead line replacement project, estimated to cost $16.78 million, came in at less than half that amount.

“It’s a reason to celebrate,” said Commissioner Harry L. Johnson III after Friday’s bid opening.

J.S. Bova Excavating LLC of Struthers submitted the apparent low bid of $8,247,116.

“This is great,” Johnson said. “That price for a project of this magnitude.”

Regarding J.S. Bova’s bid, Johnson said Friday: “We’re digesting the information and we’re not at the point to give a notice to proceed.”

Johnson doesn’t anticipate issues with the contract and expects it to be approved by the city’s board of control at its May 8 meeting.

The next lowest bid of four submitted Friday was $9,914,780 from Rudzik Excavating Inc. of Struthers.

The two other bids also were under the estimate: $10,249,680 from Marucci & Gaffney Excavating Co. of Youngstown and $14,573,649 from S.E.T. Inc. of Lowellville.

The project includes the replacement of more than 10,000 linear feet of lead waterlines and a water main to more than 720 homes in the Buckeye Plat neighborhood on the Southeast Side.

The project’s estimated cost initially was $14,944,000. Arcadis, a national firm that has done extensive work for the city, revised the estimate to $16,782,881.

City council approved the increased amount to borrow from the EPA on April 2, about two months after it authorized the initial $14,944,000 figure.

“We thought that was a little on the high side,” Johnson said.

But with the city borrowing the money for the project from the Ohio Environmental Agency — with 50% of it forgiven upon completion –Johnson said an EPA official told him it was best to ask the agency for approval for the increased estimate. The EPA wouldn’t agree to loan the money to the city for less than the estimate so the amount had to be raised, he said.

“If we didn’t do it this way, it would have delayed the project by 30 to 45 days,” Johnson said.

The money to be borrowed was always going to be for the project’s actual cost, Johnson said.

The project, which is being done simultaneously in two phases, should start in June or July, Johnson said. One phase will take 11 months to complete while the other will take 18 months.