Penn Pike gets low bids on bridges - benefits of an economic slump

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is replacing a set of 51 year old bridges on their Northwest Extension (I-476) in the Pocono mountains - bridges over the LeHigh River and Canal and over a nearby Pohopoco Creek. About 3.2km (2 miles) of new approach road work is needed plus removal of the the 1957 spans.

In 2007 the work was costed at $125m.

When bids came in last week the prices were:

1. Walsh Construction Company  $101,558,000.00

2. Allan A Myers, LP                      $103,600,000.00

3. Trumbull Corporation               $109,592,277.59

4. GA & FC Wagman, Inc               $113,021,765.80

Walsh got the job. (You've got to love the guys who bid with 59 cents on the end!)

But the point is that the bids ranged between 81% and 90% of the estimated cost in 2007.

A Turnpike official said there are probably several reasons for the low prices:

- substitution of prestressed concrete beams for steel

- a drop in the price of materials including steel, cement, lumber, bitumen, and fuel

- intense competition to get work

Now seems to be a good time to build.

BACKGROUND: Both the existing LeHigh bridge of steel plate girder design and the Pohopoco bridge, a under-deck truss bridge are rated as 'structurally deficient' and 'functionally obsolete.'

The project involves building the new bridges a hsort distance to the west of the existing bridge and building new 2x2 expressway over 3.2km (2 miles) of which the bridges themselves are about 700m (0.43 miles).

LeHigh River bridge will be a 9 span (NB) and 10 span (SB) bridge about 465m (1530ft) long and 23m (75ft) above the river. Most spans will be 46m (150ft).

The Pohopoco Creek bridge of 6 spans, total length 310m (1020ft) will be 37m (120ft) over water with spans of 44m (145ft).
The roadways will be the new Penn Pike standard width of of pavement and bridge deck of 12.8m (42ft) providing two travel lanes and a full right shoulder lane and a 1.8m (6ft) left offset.

The layout provides space for widening into the middle with a third travel lane.

Hiking trails through the site are being rebuilt.

Design of the bridge is by Borton-Lawson engineers of Wilkes-Barre.

4 lanes of traffic will be maintained at through the rebuild, the new bridges being immediately west of the existing bridges, which will be removed at the end of the project.

TOLLROADSnews 2009-01-31

REVISIONS 2009-02-02