I-80 over Lehigh River Bridge Project - Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2022/06/30/commonwealth-court-bridge-tolling-proposal-verdict.html A verdict has been reached in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania that now bars the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation from proceeding with its plan to place tolls on as many as nine interstate highway bridges throughout the state, including the one PennDOT proposed for a section of I-79 near Bridgeville. _______________ https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/transportation-and-transit/construction-group-pennsylvania-bridge-tolling-project-penndot/3172518/ PennDOT Picks Construction Group for Bridge-Tolling Project Gov. Tom Wolf's administration has picked a consortium of companies to manage construction on as many as nine major interstate bridges in Pennsylvania -- upgrades on the aging spans that are to be paid for by tolls under the administration's current plan. Wolf's push for tolling comes as states increasingly look to user fees to make up for declining gas tax revenue. However, it has spurred opposition from some communities and Republican lawmakers, who say it will be costly to locals and businesses and create congestion. It also comes amid rising gas prices. Wolf's Department of Transportation selected the group from among three finalists, but also said Wednesday that it has not decided which of the nine bridges it will toll. PennDOT has not made the application public, but said it made the selection based on an analysis of experience and qualifications on similarly sized projects, investment and financial experience, understanding of the project and approach to satisfy its requirements. The winning application includes three international firms: U.S.-based subsidiaries of Israel-based Shikun & Binui, a development subsidiary of Australia-based Macquarie Group and Spanish construction firm FCC Construccion. The application includes four other firms that specialize in design or heavy construction and that have U.S.-based parent companies with a headquarters in Pennsylvania. Republican lawmakers have countered that the Wolf administration could instead use federal infrastructure aid or borrow the money from the federal government. But PennDOT has said neither helps fix a long-term gap of billions of dollars in highway construction and maintenance funding. PennDOT and the consortium -- called Bridging Pennsylvania Partners -- will now enter into a "pre-development agreement" to finalize the design and packaging of the bridges to be built, financed and maintained, PennDOT said. All construction work is mandated to be performed by contractors prequalified for work in Pennsylvania, and at least 65% of the construction work will be subcontracted, PennDOT said. The nine candidate bridges are I-78's Lenhartsville Bridge in Berks County; I-79's bridges over State Route 50 in Allegheny County; I-80's bridges across Canoe Creek in Clarion County, Nescopeck Creek in Luzerne County, North Fork in Jefferson County and the Lehigh River, near Wilkes-Barre; I-81 over the Susquehanna River in northern Pennsylvania; I-83's South Bridge across the Susquehanna River, a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the state Capitol; and Girard Point Bridge on I-95 in Philadelphia. The bridges were selected because they are relatively large, costly projects that require improvements sooner, PennDOT has said. The agency tried to give geographical balance to the bridges it selected to distribute the impact. Tolls would be between $1 and $2, probably both ways, raise more than $2 billion and could last from the start of construction for up to 30 years, the length allowed under current law, PennDOT officials have said. Gantries installed at the bridges would read E-ZPass transponders or license plates to collect fees, and are expected to be managed by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission under an interagency agreement, PennDOT said. PennDOT said it is in the midst of conducting public hearings and environmental reviews on the bridges. The first package of bridges is scheduled to be under contract by December, it said. After the design process, construction is expected to begin between fall 2023 and spring 2024, it said. Pennsylvania's gasoline taxes are among the nation's highest, but PennDOT has said its current highway and bridge budget for construction and maintenance is about $6.9 billion per year, less than half of the $15 billion that is needed to keep Pennsylvania's highways and bridges in good condition and ease major traffic bottlenecks. _____________________________________________________________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2022/03/09/major-bridge-replacement-pennsylvania.html Two Pittsburgh-based firms are among nine companies selected by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to administer a program that will replace or repair as many as nine bridges in Pennsylvania. Joseph B. Fay Co. and Shikun & Binui-America Inc. are among the companies in Bridging Pennsylvania Partners, which won the bid for PennDOT's Major Bridge Public-Private Partnership. The nine bridges that could be up for repair or replacement include the widening and bridge replacement project at the I-79 interchange in Bridgeville. Under the state's plans, that and other bridge candidates would be tolled to pay for the work. Bridging Pennsylvania Partners and PennDOT are now expected to finalize plans for the bridges, including design. Construction for the first bridges would begin before spring 2024. "Selecting a team brings us one step closer to delivering these important improvements to our infrastructure," said Secretary of Transportation Yassmin Gramian. The other partners are Macquarie Infrastructure Developments LLC; Shikun & Binui Concessions USA Inc.; STV Inc. in Douglassville; FCC Construccion S.A.; SAI Consulting Engineers Inc. in Lemoyne; Wagman Heavy Civil Inc. in York; and H&K Group Inc. in Skippack. PennDOT said the companies have 21 offices and 2,500 employees in Pennsylvania and the work has to be done with contractors who are prequalified to work in Pennsylvania. Also there is a goal of 13.05% for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I-80 Over Lehigh River Bridge Project in Luzerne and Carbon Counties State Route: SR 0080-08B (Interstate 80) Local Name: I-80 over Lehigh River Bridge Project Project Type: Bridge Replacement The I-80 bridges over the Lehigh River are eastbound/westbound structures built in 1965 and approaching the end of their serviceable lifespans. These bridges cross over the Lehigh River, Lehigh Gorge State Park, Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad and SR-1005 (River Road) in Carbon and Luzerne Counties. Combined, the bridges carry an average of 27,400 vehicles per day, about 44 percent of which is truck traffic. The purpose of the I-80 over Lehigh River Bridge project is to address the deterioration of the aging bridge structures and thereby provide safe and structurally sufficient bridges that will provide connectivity for interstate travelers, commuters, commercial users, emergency services, tourists and local residents. The project will replace the aging bridges with wider structures; increase the length of the eastbound on-ramp auxiliary lane, the height of the bridges’ barriers and the width of the shoulders to meet current interstate design standards; and improve safety in the corridor. The I-80 over Lehigh River Bridge project is one of several projects being evaluated as a candidate for bridge tolling. A bridge toll is a fee that drivers pay when passing a specific location, often by using a service like E-ZPass. The funds received from the bridge toll will go back to the I-80 over Lehigh River Bridge project to pay for construction, maintenance and operation. As of November 18, 2021, this project is in the preliminary planning phase with a consultant. Anticipated letting date is April 1, 2023. Although a firm timeline for construction has not been determined, construction is expected to start 2023-2025. *Project information, including timeline and contacts, has been obtained through public sources. The content management team continues to pursue additional details; however, the contact(s) listed have yet to disclose or confirm any information. Inquiries should be directed to the contact(s) listed.

Division 01 -	General Requirements, Vehicular Access and Parking, Traffic Control, Temporary Barriers and Enclosures.
Division 03 -	Concrete, Concrete Reinforcing, Precast Structural Concrete.
Division 05 -	Metals, Structural Steel Framing, Structural Steel for Bridges, Steel Joist Framing, Steel Joist Girder Framing.
Division 07 -	Thermal and Moisture Protection, Expansion Control.
Division 09 -	Finishes, High-Performance Coatings.
Division 10 -	Specialties, Signage, Traffic Signage.
Division 26 -	Electrical, Exterior Lighting, Lighting Poles and Standards, Roadway Lighting.
Division 31 -	Earthwork, Embankments, Erosion and Sedimentation Controls, Slope Protection, Gabions, Riprap, Special Foundations and Load-Bearing Elements, Driven Piles.
Division 32 -	Exterior Improvements, Bases, Ballasts, and Paving, Flexible Paving, Rigid Paving, Fences and Gates, Retaining Walls.
Division 34 -	Transportation, Bridges.