PennDOT working efficiently with rapid bridge replacement plan
More often than not, government works at a snail’s pace. In some cases, that’s a good thing, as competing sides negotiate to – gasp – compromise in order to find middle ground.
But slow-and-steady isn’t practical when it comes to fixing Pennsylvania’s more than 3,500 structurally deficient bridges.
A new private-public partnership, otherwise known as P3, is giving the state Department of Transportation the flexibility to repair or replace hundreds of dilapidated bridges – many in rural areas – in just a few years.
The Rapid Bridge Replacement Program began in 2016 after PennDOT awarded a $899 million contract to Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners to replace 558 bridges in three years.
“This streamlines it,” state Rep. Pam Snyder said of the partnership. “It looks like, from what’s happening to date, it’s working.”
She would know. Her rural district, encompassing all of Greene County and parts of Washington and Fayette counties, is high up on the list for the number of replacements. There are 25 such projects in Washington County during the program, and 13 in Greene County, with most being completed this year.
Most bridge projects are over small streams and finished in just a matter of weeks or months to cause minimal disruption to the motoring public. When the construction workers finish one bridge, they immediately head to another one nearby.
The speed of the project is breathtaking, but sorely needed as another 250 bridges in the commonwealth are added to the structurally deficient list each year, according to PennDOT statistics.
What’s so unique about this program is that the large-scale bid has streamlined the funding and construction process for Plenary Walsh, which takes out the low-interest bond and is in charge of construction and maintenance for the next 25 years. The conglomerate faces steep fines if it does not complete each project by an assigned date, meaning the jobs are getting done efficiently and on time. As each bridge is completed, PennDOT pays back a portion of the contract.
“You’re obviously motivated for not losing your investment,” said Jeff Rossi, who works out of Walsh Granite’s office in Findlay Township. “We’re getting in and getting out quickly.”
It also allows each PennDOT district to focus on other infrastructure programs without whittling down their area’s individual budget. This means better roads for all of us, and sooner, too.
The state Legislature passed Act 88 in 2012, which enabled PennDOT to enter into these P3 partnerships. The rapid bridge program is just one of many examples of the programs that can be unleashed through the cooperation.
It could eventually allow toll roads or toll bridges to be built using private money. That type of partnership might be the only way the Southern Beltway extension from Jefferson Hills to Monroeville is ever going to be completed after the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission tabled the plan, instead proposing the $2 billion set aside for the project be spent elsewhere.
But for now, the bridge replacement program is rapidly showing that Pennsylvania can get it right when it comes to the government working with the private sector. And that’s something people, regardless of their political views, can agree on.