Lake Charles I-210 bridge repair project bid at 1 year, $44.5 million
Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at 1:09:58 PM
BATON ROUGE – The $44.5 million repair project for the I-210 Lake Prien Bridge in Lake Charles highlighted the most recent bid results on the Department of Transportation and Development projects. The apparent low bidder, Kiewit Louisiana Co., proposed a project time of 365 days.
“The proposed time is far less than the Department’s revised time estimate and will certainly not be as painful for the traveling public as what it would have been had the original contract not been rejected and reworked by the department,” said DOTD Secretary Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D. “The DOTD staff worked hard to make innovative changes to the project that knocked down the estimated time for the repair work in an effort to minimize the inconvenience to the traveling public and to lessen complications to commerce.”
To achieve this outcome, DOTD implemented aggressive measures, which included bidding for cost and time, in an attempt to reduce the estimated project duration. A third lane closure option is available for contractors, and this option will improve access to the worksite and encourage night work. There were also timesaving changes to guardrails and the implementation of a driver-use cost that would be a disincentive for extended lane closures over the duration of the project.
“This bid and number of days does not consider an incentive package proposed by local business, industry and-or local governments that could be offered to the contractor,” Wilson said. “The Department values and understands the competition in this industry and this bid results proves its value. We took steps to reduce the time on the project and it went from an estimated three years to slightly less than 18 months. So, for Kiewit to come in at one year is a positive for all.”
The I-210 bridge has been in service for 54 years and requires repair work. Age and increased traffic could lead to safety concerns if repairs are not made. While the bridge is currently safe, repair work is necessary to maintain the bridge’s integrity into the future under increased traffic. DOTD remains committed to providing a safe transportation system.
After the bid is reviewed and confirmed, the contractor will have an assembly period. Once construction starts, it is projected to be completed in 365 calendar days.
“DOTD is dedicated to the completion of the repair project in the safest and most efficient way,” Wilson said. “We appreciate the public’s input and interest in making this happen. I would also like to thank legislators, local government and business/industry leaders for being engaged, offering assistance and providing awareness.”