The state’s Public Private Partnership (PPP; P3) Board has given the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) the go-ahead to invite private sector companies to bid for the Rapid Replacement Bridge Project, PennDOT’s Office of Policy and Public Private Partnerships said in a statement.
PennDOT is now authorised to launch a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the design, construction, financing, and maintenance of 200 to 1,000 bridges, which are deemed structurally deficient across the state.
“When Governor [Tom] Corbett signed the P3 legislation into law, he gave us a tool to find more ways to work with private businesses to meet our transportation needs, or expand the services we deliver,” said Barry J. Schoch, Secretary of Transportation and P3 board chairman. “Although this helps us stretch our limited dollars, we need more resources to help ensure that we can use the P3 program to its fullest potential.”
The Public and Private Partnerships for Transportation Act was signed into law in September 2012. It allows the Department of Transportation as well as other transportation agencies to partner with private companies in financing, delivering, and maintaining transportation projects.
PennDOT has identified 4,500 structurally-deficient bridges across the state. “Depending on how much funding is available, 200 to 1,000 bridges could be bundled together as part of the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project,” according to PennDOT’s website.
“These [structurally-deficient] bridges are not unsafe but pose a serious problem that jeopardizes our state’s ability to grow economically and create jobs,” PennDOT said.
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