The decision was made with the agreement of the Illinois Department of Transportation. The lowest bid for the main span contract had come in about US$39 million higher than expected, but additional funding will come from savings on the overall river bridge project, the I-64 project and bond savings.
"We anticipate some significant savings on the remaining portions of the project from innovative value engineering concepts," said project director Gregory Horn. "These concepts helped us design a bridge that met the regional requirements for traffic flow and safety, while providing excellent value to the taxpayers of Missouri and Illinois."
The project includes an aggressive goal for helping disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE). Approximately 18% of the money the prime contractor gets for the project - more than US$41 million - is set to be paid to minority- or woman-owned businesses. Additionally, there is a possible US$3.5 million incentive to encourage the contractor to be socially and environmentally responsible.
