The Arkansas Highway Commission and Arkansas State Highway & Transportation Department (AHTD) have accepted the US$98.4 million bid from Massman Construction Company to replace the Broadway Bridge crossing the Arkansas River between downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock. The other three bids for the double basket-handle network tied arch bridge were betweeen US$114.2 million and US$115.4 million.
As well as being the lowest in terms of cost, Massman’s bid was the shortest in terms of time for the bridge to be out of service.
“We’re very pleased with the bids we received, particularly the bid from Massman,” said AHTD director Scott Bennett. “We gave contractors 12 weeks instead of four to develop their bids hoping they would find innovative ways to keep both the cost and time down.”
The bridge had originally been envisaged in 2008 as a standard plate girder design costing US$58 million but Pulaski County agreed to contribute US$20 million for the more elaborate arch design, bringing the estimated cost to about US$80 million in 2012.
The complexity of the design, steel fabrication requirements and rising materials costs, combined with the need for a short construction timeline, had the AHTD concerned about the bids that would be received. “Our latest estimates from this year had the project going for anywhere from US$80 to US$100 million,” said Bennett. “Needless to say, the combination of a sub-US$100 million bid and six-month bridge out-of-service window was good to hear.”
The four bids were:
- Massman Construction Company - US$98.4 million
- Edward Kraemer & Sons - US$114.2 million
- PCL Civil Constructors - US$114.4 million
- Brasfield & Gorrie - US$115.4 million
