Caltrans Will Ramp Up Innovative Project Delivery Methods
As the California Dept. of Transportation gears up for the next 10 years with almost $20 billion in bond measure money, its director vows that the agency will pursue more design-build projects and public-private partnerships.
In a press briefing on January 10, Caltrans Director Will Kempton said two initiatives to help get major transportation projects underway will be presented to the California legislature as part of the governor’s new budget proposal. “The first is design-build legislation that [was not enacted last year], which we will continue to pursue so we can obtain that authority,” Kempton said. He pointed to the “positive experience” the Orange County Transportation Authority had with the design-build Garden Grove Freeway (SR-22). The 800-day project finished in December 2006 – three years earlier than the original Caltrans estimate, which was based on the traditional design-bid-build method.