Cape Coral set to select engineering firm for next UEP phase

The next phase for the Utilities Extension Project in Cape Coral is set to move forward Monday.

Cape Coral City Council is expected to approve the next phase for the UEP and begin negotiations with an engineer firm that will handle construction in the northeast portion of Cape Coral.

Cape Coral Selection Advisory Committee interviewed three separate firms and ranked them, making a recommendation for council review. Tetra Tech, a California-based consulting and engineering firm, received the highest approval, so city council will approve or deny the firm during its meeting.

If approved, the committee will write up a contract for Tetra Tech, which will then be brought to the council at a future meeting.

The next project area is about 4 square miles with 3,000 houses.

Doug Weber lives in the project area, and he said he likes his well water because there aren’t any large bills. And he’s worried about the roads being torn up for long periods of time.

“As long as you know how to fix your well water, there’s no expense really in it. You just switch out a filter or switch out the little foot valve,” Weber said.

Streets in the area are not going to be torn up yet, but the city could still move that process forward and pick an engineering firm at its Monday meeting. This portion of the project remains in the design phase, and that could take up to a year to complete after a firm is hired.

The UEP North 2 project is expected to be completed a year from now, sometime in 2020. The North 1 project is just beginning, and several other sections will follow as the North 1 project is finished.