Bay Bridge Self-Anchored Suspension Span Bids Delayed Again
Worried that contractors will yet again drag their heels in submitting bids for an elegant but controversial self-anchored suspension span, the California Dept. of Transportation officials on Jan. 19 announced that the bid opening for the span will be delayed from Feb. 1 to March 22. The Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee (TBPOC) of Caltrans says it will offer $5 million to the top three bidders, rather than $3 million.
The estimated $1.45-billion suspension span (SAS) is the centerpiece of the $6.3-billion Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge, which is running $3.7-billion over budget. An American Bridge Co.-led joint venture was the sole bidder for the SAS two years ago with a $1.45 billion price tag using foreign steel. The bid came in twice as high as Caltran's estimates at that time. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) called for scrapping the T.Y. Lin International design in favor of extending the existing causeway. After almost a year of negotiations with the governor and state Legislature, the SAS design got the green light again last August--with motorists to pay an extra dollar in bridge tolls. The delay added more than $1 million to the overall project.