The oft-delayed Indian River Inlet Bridge replacement project is again one step closer to reality. The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) announced Wednesday several steps of progress toward its goal of building a new bridge over the inlet, including the selection of three teams that will compete for the right to design and construct a new, longer bridge.
DelDOT advertised its Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on Oct. 26, 2007, as an intermediate step to signing a new contract with a design-build team that could get the new bridge from the design stage to completion.
On the verge of signing a contract with an out-of-state firm last year, DelDOT put that move on hold as legal challenges emerged to how the bid award process had been handled. The department requested clarification on the process from the state’s General Assembly, which it subsequently received.
Bad news on the trouble-plagued project came in the fall of 2007, when the previously constructed embankments leading to the new bridge were discovered to have been settling poorly. DelDOT officials decided to deal with the problem by changing the design of the bridge for a second time, extending its run over land and its overall length because of the problems with the approaches.
With that new plan, the Oct. 26 RFQ was advertised, leading to this week’s announcement of a set of three design-build teams that will compete over the final contract for the project.
The proposals from the teams will include concept, technical and price proposals, as outlined in the project’s latest Request for Proposals (RFP), which was to be posted on the DelDOT Web site. Announcement of the selected proposal is expected in late spring, according to DelDOT spokesman Darrell Cole. The procurement on the project will be design-build, he confirmed.
The short-listed teams, consisting of bridge contractors and engineering firms are: Indian River Constructors, a joint venture of Flatiron Constructors Inc. and Kiewit Construction Inc.; PCL Civil Constructors Inc.; and Skanska USA Civil Southeast Inc.
Cole said each team has previous experience in long-span cable-stayed bridge design and construction, which is the type of design planned for the new Indian River Inlet Bridge. Over the next several months, he said, the teams will develop proposals that will include a preliminary design and cost proposal for their proposed structure.
The estimated budget for the design-build of the new bridge is $150 million.
Cole said the design-build process allows a team of bridge design engineers and bridge construction contractors to be responsible for both the design and construction, meeting predetermined design criteria. “This process will enable DelDOT to expedite the completion of the bridge,” he explained. Time is considered by many to be of the essence with the project after many delays and with a reported lifespan of the current bridge to end somewhere between 2008 and 2011. Officials have stepped up monitoring of the bridge’s condition to keep aware of any potential failure before it happens.
The new bridge is proposed to be 2,600 feet long, including 900 feet for the actual clear span over the inlet, with 1,700 feet of the bridge over land, supported by piers in the ground. The previous design called for a bridge approximately 1,400 feet long. All piers of the new bridge remain out of the water, Cole noted, addressing ongoing concerns with the existing bridge, wherein the piers are in the water and have been undermined by the current in the inlet.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on Dec. 14, 2007, approved the new plan for the building of a longer bridge over the inlet, Cole said. “They concurred with the department’s decision based on the fact that DelDOT’s plan will ‘minimize safety concerns, project delays and future maintenance considerations,’” he said.
Review of embankment problems moving ahead
DelDOT also continues to move forward with a related Errors and Omissions review — including the hiring of an outside claims consultant — to investigate the geotechnical work and embankment construction, Cole noted Wednesday. The criteria for selection includes demonstrated knowledge and experience in handling similar projects; adequate staffing to meet an aggressive schedule; and immediate availability, he said.
According to the Request for Proposals (RFP), the purpose of DelDOT’s claims consultant solicitation was to acquire investigation services, to perform a claims or forensic review of the design and construction of earthen embankments at the Indian River Inlet.
Cole said it is expected that the review will involve, at a minimum, a review of geotechnical testing information, design calculations and decisions, construction bid documents, field testing results, survey and monitoring data collection results and methods, and project files from design and construction.
In addition to the review, DelDOT is also moving forward with plans to remove some of the existing embankment material to make way for the redesigned bridge approaches.
“We have been investigating suitable locations to place the fill that is to be removed,” Cole said. “This carries with it the responsibility to ensure the sites selected meet all environmental and cultural permitting agency requirements. Partnering with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) we are working to expedite the contracting process. As a result, we anticipate removal to begin in March.”
DelDOT is encouraging residents, motorists and others to write to DelDOT Public Relations at dotpr@state.de.us, or 800 Bay Road, Dover, DE, 19903, or call (302) 760-2080 or 800-652-5600 with any questions or concerns about the project.
(For more on the history of the bridge and project, on settlement concerns and on DelDOT’s response to these issues, visit www.irib.deldot.gov on the Internet.)