Utah County commissioners awarded two contracts Tuesday for the expansion of the county jail, clearing the way for construction to begin.

The work is scheduled to be done by October 2007.

Out of two proposals submitted, Comtrol Inc. of Midvale turned in the low bid at $18.7 million. The other bid was close to that number, Public Works Director Clyde Naylor told commissioners.

"We think we were able to get a very good bid, especially given the construction costs now," Naylor said.

The contract calls for expanding the jail by 72,750 square feet and remodeling another 17,150 square feet of the facility. When complete, the jail -- which has struggled with crowding issues for some time -- will have room for about 400 additional inmates.

Commissioners also approved a $15,150 contract with Certified Testing and Inspection Corp. of West Bountiful for testing and inspection of the jail construction.

Utah County's growing population has put a strain on law enforcement. In recent years, the jail has had to periodically release inmates because of crowding, and area police departments have been told the jail cannot accept most misdemeanor prisoners.

The county could face legal repercussions if it doesn't take steps to address jail overcrowding.

In the 1990s, the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah filed a lawsuit on behalf of inmates at the Utah County Jail, which was then in a different building, because of overcrowding. A judge issued a consent decree in which Utah County agreed to make sure the number of inmates didn't exceed the legal limit.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.