The Monroe County Courthouse expansion moves even closer to a construction start date.

On Wednesday the Monroe County Commissioners awarded the contracts for the roughly $50 million project.

In the general construction category, Lobar Inc. had the lowest bid with $24,708,000, followed by Quandel Construction Group Inc. with $27,900,000 and L.R. Costanzo Co. Inc. with $35,554,000.

For the heating and air conditioning portion, Marx Sheet Metal and Mechanical Inc. submitted a bid for $8,767,000. MDS HVAC-R Inc. bid $11,799,600

For electrical, bidders were Wind Gap Electric Inc., $9,179,310; Electrical Urban Electrical Contractors Inc., $9,623,000, Everon Electrical Contractors Inc., $11,397,890; and MDS HVAC-R Inc. for $11,799,600.

One bid was submitted for plumbing work from LTS Plumbing & Heating Inc. for $3,637,780.

Otis Elevator Company submitted a bid for $1,831,964 for elevator service.

Contracts are being awarded to Lobar Inc., LTS Plumbing & Heating Inc., Marx Sheet Metal and Mechanical Inc., Wind Gap Electric Inc. and Otis Elevator Company.

The building, constructed in 1890, served the county’s needs until 1934, when an identically sized addition was added.

Now 51 years since the Courthouse Annex addition, the Monroe County Commissioners and the employees who work in the courthouse look forward to a workspace that is not crowded and is updated.

The 66,000-square-foot, three-story structure will include new courtrooms, new judicial chambers, and a lower level devoted to secure parking for judges, detainee holding, and vehicle access, as well as sheriff court security operations. One significant improvement among the many that will occur is the existing sunken plaza will be redesigned to create a new, more easily accessible, and usable public plaza.