Pennsylvania's new law uncapping the wholesale fuel tax will
help to double the number of bridges that the state Department of
Transportation will replace.
And the state's 2012 law allowing PennDOT to partner with
private companies will help to accelerate the schedule to replace hundreds of
structurally deficient bridges.
The uncapping of the fuel tax – which could lead to a price
hike at the pump for consumers – is expected to result in an additional $2.3
billion in revenue for the state by the fifth year of the plan that was signed
into law last month by Gov. Tom Corbett.
Known as the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, private
companies will reconstruct at least 500 bridges of similar design – about 200
to 300 more than originally anticipated. Some of the bidding for the projects
will be done in groups of bridges, as opposed to the longer process of bidding
on each individual bridge.
Bridge replacement work could start at the beginning of
2015.
"This is an example of having a tool to improve and
strengthen our relationship with the private sector," PennDOT spokeswoman
Erin Waters-Trasatt said this morning. "Overall, it's an example of making
sure we are economically strong and able to address our large bridge problem in
Pennsylvania."
In September 2012, Corbett signed into law the Public and
Private Partnerships for Transportation Act in the state. This law allows
PennDOT and other state agencies, transportation authorities and commissions to
partner with private companies to participate in delivering, maintaining and
financing transportation-related projects.
The state will continue to handle the day-to-day maintenance
of the transportation projects but allows the private contractors to handle the
major maintenance. It also leaves room for the state to partner ideas with the
private companies for ways to continually enhance and improve the
transportation system in Pennsylvania.
The selected companies will manage the bridges' design,
construction and maintenance under one contract to streamline design and
construction activities. Cost savings are anticipated since the same basic
design and construction standards can be used for multiple bridges.
"This is a tool, not a cure-all for the Pennsylvania
transportation system, but it will allow us to expand existing services and
provide new ones," Waters-Trasatt said.
Interested companies must submit their statements of
qualifications to develop, design, build, finance and maintain a portfolio of
replacement bridges.
After qualifications are reviewed, PennDOT will invite teams
to submit proposals for the project next spring, it said. The department then
will pick the winning bidders.
Source: LVB.com
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