The original estimate by the US state’s transportation department had been three years, which had been brought down to 18 months after steps were taken to reduce the duration.

The apparent low bidder for the I-210 Lake Prien Bridge in Lake Charles, Kiewit Louisiana, has now proposed a project time of 365 days.

“The proposed time is far less than the Department’s revised time estimate and will certainly not be as painful for the travelling public as what it would have been had the original contract not been rejected and reworked by the department,” said Louisana Department of Transportation & Development (DOTD) secretary Shawn Wilson. “The DOTD staff worked hard to make innovative changes to the project that knocked down the estimated time for the repair work in an effort to minimize the inconvenience to the travelling public and to lessen complications to commerce.”

DOTD implemented aggressive measures, which included bidding for cost and time, in an attempt to reduce the estimated project duration. An option is available for the contractor to improve access to the site and encourage night work. There have also been timesaving changes to guardrails and the implementation of a driver-use cost that would be a disincentive for extended lane closures.

Wilson added: “The Department values and understands the competition in this industry and this bid results proves its value. We took steps to reduce the time on the project and it went from an estimated three years to slightly less than 18 months. So, for Kiewit to come in at one year is a positive for all.”

The I-210 bridge has been in service for 54 years and requires repair work. Age and increased traffic could lead to safety concerns if repairs are not made.