From the North Carolina Department of Transportation, shared Dec. 9:
RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation has selected its short list of private engineering firms to work as design-build teams on 165 small bridge improvement, replacement and safety projects.
Proposals were made by 40 different contractors and 35 of them were shortlisted on at least one project. The projects will be let to contract between February and May of 2012.
“My top priority is creating jobs,” Gov. Bev Perdue said. “Using more private-sector contractors creates new jobs right away and investing in our bridges and highways improves the economy in the long run.”
The work will be done using express design-build, a new concept, which does not require a technical proposal. With express design-build, projects are built to exact specifications, so low bidders can launch construction within eight months of winning a bid.
A list of the shortlisted contractors is posted at: http://www.ncdot.org/doh/preconstruct/altern/design_build/expressdesignbuild/expressdb.html.
Several projects will focus on replacing bridges that are less than 20 feet long. As preliminary work is done, it is possible that some existing bridges could be replaced by large pipes or box culverts.
Editor’s note: The web link above to the shortlist of engineering contractors is interactive and includes details about projects throughout the state, including in Western North Carolina.