Rhode Island Awards its Largest Single Contract to Rebuild Providence Interchange

RIDOT $410-million contract goes to 6/10 Constructors joint venture

The Rhode Island Dept. of Transportation awarded a $410-million contract with a a design-build team called 6/10 Constructors for the 6-10 Interchange in Providence. Image courtesy RIDOT

A four-company design-build team has been awarded a $410 million contract to design and rebuild the Routes 6-10 Interchange in Providence, the Rhode Island Dept. of Transportation announced late last year.

RIDOT awarded the project—the largest single contract in the agency’s history—on Dec. 21 to 6/10 Constructors, which comprises of Barletta Heavy Construction, O&G Industries, DW White Construction, and Aetna Bridge Co., the agency said in a statement. A project commencement ceremony is scheduled for Jan. 8.

“The 6/10 Constructors had both the highest scoring technical proposal and the lowest bid price with a construction cost estimate of $248 million,” the agency stated. The project, under consideration for three decades, will involve replacing seven of nine bridges on the interchange that are structurally deficient, it added.

Gov. Gina M. Raimondo (D-RI) said in a statement "fixing the bridges on the 6-10 Interchange and improving the traffic pattern will ensure that Rhode Island drivers are safe and will add to our quality of life.”

To save time, the RIDOT specified a design-build contract which allows design and construction to proceed simultaneously, the agency noted. “Because the designer and the contractor are part of one team, the risk of cost overruns is reduced.” The agency also noted the design-build approach historically leads to fewer change orders and design errors that would affect the cost of the job.

The design-build team’s plan will reroute and phase traffic throughout the project to ease the impact of construction on streets and neighborhoods, the agency stated.

Johanna Knapschaefer, ENR’s New England Special Correspondent, has been writing about trends in design and construction of buildings, bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure for more than a decade. She also profiles award-winning industry leaders and delves into broader construction issues such as workforce training, worker safety and health, climate change remediation and emerging offshore wind and tidal energy developments. Over the past two decades, her articles have appeared in Architectural Record, BusinessWeek, the Boston Globe, American Banker, Modern Metals, BusinessNH Magazine, Pittsburgh Magazine and many other publications. Johanna is fluent in Japanese, and taught English and academic writing in the Science and Engineering Department of Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, while living in Japan for eight years.

When not writing, Johanna enjoys mountain climbing, singing and playing her Spanish guitar.