(IND) Five construction/engineering firm teams apply for Pennsylvania Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, a project to replace up to 500 of the state's structurally deficient bridges, under a P3 relationship

PennDOT announced today that five teams have expressed interest in the department's Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, a project to replace up to 500 of the state's structurally deficient bridges.

The list includes some of the biggest construction and engineering firms in the country. Wagman Companies of York County is part of the Pennsylvania Crossings team.

The project calls for the replacement of bridges of similar design under one contract. Cost savings are anticipated since the same basic design and construction standards will be used for multiple bridges, PennDOT said in a news release.

PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch said the public-private partnership will enable the state to replace more bridges than anticipated.

“I’m pleased to see that private industry is coming forward to partner with us on this effort to keep our bridges open and safe,” he said in a statement.

The teams and team members submitting statements of qualification are as follows:

• Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners: Plenary Group, U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles; The Walsh Group, Washington, D.C.; Granite Construction Co., Watsonville, Calif.; HDR Engineering, Alexandria, Va.; HNTB Corp., Kansas City, Mo.; and Infrastructure Corp. of America, Arlington, Va.

• Keystone Bridge Partners: InfraRed Capital Partners, New York City; Kiewit, Arlington, Va.; Parsons, Pasadena, Calif.; The Allan A. Myers family of companies, Worcester, Pa.; DBi, not available; and American Infrastructure, Worcester, Pa.

• Commonwealth Bridge Partners: John Laing Investments, London; Fluor, Irving, Texas; American Bridge Co., Coraopolis, Pa.; Traylor Bros. Inc., Alexandria, Va.; Joseph B. Fay Co., Baltimore; STV Inc., Douglassville, Pa.; and Infrastructure and Industrial Constructors, Pittsburgh.

• Keystone Bridge Builders: Macquarie, Sydney, New South Wales; PCL, Denver, Colo.; Conti Enterprises, South Plainfield, N.J.; and Stantec Consulting Services, Leesburg, Va.

• Pennsylvania Crossings: Meridiam, Paris; Lane Construction, Cheshire, Conn.; AECOM, Washington, D.C.; Trumbull, Pittsburgh; Wagman Cos., York County; and Cofiroute, Sèvres, France.

PennDOT will review the statements of qualification and, after evaluating them, invite the highest scoring teams to submit proposals for the project this spring. The statements outline the proposers’ ability to meet the requirements of the project.

The department will make “a best-value determination based on cost and technical approach in selecting a proposal,” the release stated, with the goal of beginning construction in 2015.

The selected team will manage the bridges’ design, construction and maintenance under one contract to streamline design and construction activities. The selected team will also maintain the bridges for a yet-to-be-determined number of years, though PennDOT will continue to own the bridges and department staff will perform routine maintenance such as snow and debris removal, the release said.

In addition, the contractor will be responsible for financing the effort, but PennDOT will make performance-based payments for the work at yet-to-be-established milestones.

The project was approved by the state’s P3 Board on Sept. 27, 2013, and PennDOT has hosted two industry forums to educate potential, private-sector stakeholders on the scope and requirements.

Source: Central Penn Business Journal