The following is a press release from the Georgia Department of Transportation:
The Georgia Department of Transportation is using a new and innovative method to accelerate replacement of 25 bridges throughout the state, with five of them in southeast Georgia.
The replacement bridges are valued at more than $39.6 million and were included in statewide construction contracts awarded earlier this month. The method, known as bridge bundles, used five design-build contracts that each packages four to six bridge replacements geographically. This allows the contractor to efficiently streamline delivery by combining design and construction activities for the bridges in their bundled contract. This concept is especially suitable in rural areas.
Several counties in southeast Georgia will benefit from $8.2 million in bridge replacement projects including:
Bacon County – Hwy 64 at Little Hurricane Creek, 4 miles southwest of Alma, $1.9 million;
Telfair County – Hwy 240 at Little Horse Creek, 10.6 miles southeast of Milan, $1.5 million;
Wayne County – Wood Woods Bridge Road at Goose Creek, 4 miles north of Jesup, $1.9 million;
Wheeler County – Snow Hill Road at Ochwalkee Creek, 16 miles north of Alamo, $1.6 million;
Ware County – Old Nichols Hwy at Hog Creek Tributary, 15 miles northwest of Waycross, $1.3 million.
Southern Concrete Construction Co. Inc. of Albany was awarded two bundle contracts as the low bidder that encompass the bridges listed. An offsite detour will be allowed for up to 210 days per bridge and the contractor has up to 1,095 days in each contract to complete all bridges in the bundled contract. This allows the new bridges to open to traffic as quickly as possible.
Georgia DOT’s first obligation with funds resulting from HB-170— Georgia’s Transportation Funding Act of 2015 – is to maintain and improve existing infrastructure, which includes bridges. The TFA allows the Department to enhance the local transportation network through these projects.
“Design-build bridge bundles are an innovative and cost efficient way to repair and replace some of our aging local bridges,” Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry, P.E. said. “The process expedites delivery, minimizes public inconvenience, maximizes industry participation and allows us to get the best overall product for the lowest price.”