Local News in Brief : High Bids Stall Project for Opening Golden Mall to Traffic

Construction to reopen the Golden Mall in Burbank to traffic, scheduled to begin next month, could be delayed for several months because bids for the project came in higher than city officials had hoped.

John Mundweil, Burbank’s assistant public works director, said the cost of reopening the mall to vehicles and providing parking had been estimated at $4.5 million. But there were only two bids, and the low one, by Shirley Brothers Inc. of Pasadena, asked $6.1 million for the job.

The other bid, from Terrain Inc. of Glendale, was for slightly more than $7 million. But Terrain is not being seriously considered because it failed to submit bids for all the work listed, Mundweil said.

“We feel our estimate was appropriate, and we are not prepared to recommend either of the firms be awarded,” he said.

Mundweil said the council could decide to throw out the bids, negotiate with Shirley Brothers to lower their cost or readvertise for the project.

“The delay on the project will depend on what the council decides,” Mundweil said. “But it could take several months.”

The council last year approved a plan to open the mall to vehicular traffic over protests from residents who wanted to retain the park-like atmosphere and continue to limit it to pedestrians. Officials said opening up the mall would help integrate it with the planned Towncenter shopping center.

The mall, built along what was formerly San Fernando Road, was closed to traffic in 1967 at a cost of $1.1 million.