The Show-Me state's transportation agency wants to see what the private sector can to do to improve and maintain 800 structurally deficient bridges throughout the state. The Missouri Dept. of Transportation announced Sept. 7 a groundbreaking plan to award a design-build-maintain contract the statewide bridge inventory. The winning team will be responsible for rehabilitating or replacing all the bridges by 2012 and maintaining them for 25 years thereafter. MoDOT will pay the team annually based on the meeting of performance standards during that time.
Pete Rahn, managing director for MoDOT, says the contract will involve up to $600 million in design and construction. "What we intend to do is provide great flexibility in the design and construction. We will turn over a great deal of authority to the team to come up with economical solutions."