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MN bridge collapse carries costly toll
2007-10-02
A Minnesota transportation official defended the selection of the most expensive bid to replace the collapsed interstate bridge, saying the state was not focused on being "cheap," according to a letter obtained Monday. Two losing bidders -- C.S. McCrossan Construction and a joint venture of Ames Construction and Lunda Construction -- have filed a formal protest of the state's selection, accusing the state Department of Transportation of being "arbitrary and capricious." In a Sept. 28 letter to the Administration Department, which oversees state contracts, project manager Jon Chiglo said he personally emphasized that his agency was "not focusing on 'cheap' on this project" when meeting with one of the protesting teams. All bidders were told cost, time and other factors such as aesthetics would be weighed, Chiglo said. At nearly $234 million, the winning bid from Flatiron and Manson Construction was the most expensive and tied for the longest estimated time to completion, 437 days, but it's technical score outranked the others. Also on Monday, the DOT presented a new estimate of costs stemming from the Aug. 1 collapse, which killed 13 people and cut off a major Minneapolis artery. The emergency response, site cleanup, stepped-up inspections of other spans, traffic diversions and new bridge could cost state and local governments $393 million if incentives in the reconstruction contract are earned in full. "There's a lot of expense outside the rebuilding of the bridge," said Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau, who is also the state's lieutenant governor. The estimate came to light as Gov. Tim Pawlenty's administration urged top lawmakers to free up state dollars for the Mississippi River crossing's replacement. The administration is worried that winter will arrive before federal bridge money does, and needs special authorization to avoid a cash crunch. The Transportation Contingent Appropriation Group, an eight-member panel of senior legislators, is expected to consider the request later in the week. Without the panel's approval, the state DOT could delay other road projects in order to maintain its aggressive schedule of getting the new bridge built by the end of 2008. They have refused to detail which projects are in jeopardy. Attorney Dean Thomson, who filed the protest on behalf of the losing contractors, said the time constraints bolstered their complaint. "What MnDOT has done is made an award to the highest cost and the longest time," Thomson said. "That's completely contrary to its stated goal of cost and time, which to the protesters is the definition of arbitrary and capricious." Flatiron was chosen in a public ceremony Sept. 19, although no final contract has been signed. ___ Associated Press writer Brian Bakst in St. Paul contributed to this report.
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