DOTD announces proposals submitted for College Drive Flyover project
Thursday, June 04, 2020 at 2:04:59 PM
BATON ROUGE, La. - The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D. announces the submission of four design-build proposals for the I-10 & I-12 College Drive Flyover Ramp project in East Baton Rouge Parish. The companies that submitted proposals include JB James Construction, James Construction Group, Gilchrist Construction Company, and Boh Bros. Construction Co., LLC. These proposals will be extensively reviewed for their ability to plan, design, construct, and control the project in order to produce a quality product on – or ahead of – schedule, with minimized impacts to the traveling public.
“For many years, the needs of I-10 in Baton Rouge have not been adequately addressed and the congestion along this corridor continues to grow,” said Governor John Bel Edwards. “With innovative funding, working with local governments and the public, we have begun to make necessary improvements that will have lasting benefits. The College Drive flyover will eliminate the weaving action needed for those trying to exit at College Drive from I-10. This will create a safer exit and also minimize the braking action for those slowing down to merge.”
“The needs of motorists have been heard and with the support of this administration, we have been able to bring this project to the forefront and move forward with the design-build process,” said DOTD Secretary Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D. “This project is just one phase in the overall capacity project to reduce traffic congestion along I-10 from the Mississippi River Bridge to the I-10/ I-12 split and to improve the traffic configuration to the highly traveled College Drive exit.”
GARVEE bonds are special bonds that are repaid using federal funds allocated to Louisiana. DOTD has received the necessary approvals required and this marks the fourth project using those proceeds. Additional information on the design-build projects can be found at this link: http://wwwsp.dotd.la.gov/Inside_LaDOTD/Divisions/Engineering/Design-Build/Pages/default.aspx
Utilizing the design-build method will expedite the project delivery process by combining the design and construction phases. The recommendation to advertise and solicit for the I-10 & I-12 College Drive Flyover Ramp project was approved April 8, 2019, by the Louisiana Joint Transportation Committee with support from the Governor. Upon the Governor’s announcement in 2018, this project, and others in the GARVEE bond funded program, did not have environmental clearance, permits, approvals, or funding plans finalized. DOTD has made compelling progress advancing this project since the Notice of Intent (NOI) letter was issued on July 11, 2019.
The Department continues to seek innovative funding and project delivery measures in spite of the limited resources available from the decades old gas tax. Since the NOI, DOTD has entered and completed the Request for Proposals (RFP) phase, identified the top four design-builders, received four proposals and remains on schedule. A design-build contract execution is scheduled for late August 2020.
This proposed project, estimated to cost approximately $45 million, will construct a new flyover exit ramp to College Drive from I-10 West before the I-10/ I-12 split and an exit ramp from I-12 West to College Drive. The College Drive Flyover project is part of a larger project to widen I-10 from LA 415 in West Baton Rouge Parish to Essen Lane on the I-10/ I-12 split in East Baton Rouge Parish.
This project and three other significant infrastructure projects are being funded through the state’s first issuance of GARVEE bonds, which are special bonds that are repaid using federal funds allocated to Louisiana. DOTD has received the three approvals required by the Legislature to begin to access these bonds.