Iowa DOT to hold emergency letting for Iowa 175 flood repair project #MoRiver
AMES, Iowa – June 30, 2011 – The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) will be holding an emergency bid letting Friday to receive bids from contractors to perform emergency work on Iowa 175 near the Decatur Bridge. The bridge was closed Tuesday, June 28.
On Wednesday, Governor Branstad signed a Proclamation of Disaster Emergency conditionally suspending, for this specific project, the Iowa law that imposes a $1 million emergency letting limitation. If not suspended, the law would have hindered or delayed restoration of this critical highway and bridge. Emergency work is necessary to prevent further erosion of the embankment on the east end of the bridge, which is caused by the Missouri River flooding.
A constructability and prebid conference with the contracting industry was also held Wednesday. The general scope of work includes placing approximately 35,000 tons of revetment/rock on the river embankment and near the east bridge abutment. Additional work may include excavation, fill and temporary road surfacing, as well as other construction-related activities.
The completion date for the project is Aug. 5, 2011. The contractor will begin to mobilize once the contract is awarded. The contract will include an incentive of $10,000 per day for completing the project in less than 30 days.
Ongoing sandbagging efforts along Iowa 175 will also help keep the roadway open for the work to be performed and allow it to reopen sooner to traffic once the project is completed.
Areas of the roadway damaged by the heavy truck traffic will be restored to the extent that it will permit traffic, but will not be permanently repaired until a later date.
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Media contact: Dena Gray-Fisher, [email protected]