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- Kevin Gutknecht
651-366-4266
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Minnesota Department of
Transportation
Office of Communications
395 John Ireland Blvd.
Mail Stop 150
St. Paul, MN 55155-1899
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Mn/DOT announces contractor bid results for first 11 Greater Minnesota federal stimulus transportation projects
Mn/DOT today announced the contractors who submitted the apparent lowest bids to build 11 road and bridge projects in Greater Minnesota with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Bids for these projects total approximately $40 million.
The 11 projects are part of 60 state highway projects in Greater Minnesota totaling $180 million that Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel announced in February. Yesterday, Mn/DOT announced an additional 53 city and county road and bridge projects in Greater Minnesota totaling $75 million. State and local projects in the Twin Cities Metro area will be announced later this month.
“Mn/DOT is working to ensure that Minnesota’s share of the federal stimulus funds is used efficiently and effectively,” said Sorel. “It is expected that these first 11 projects will create more than 1,000 jobs in Minnesota and improve the Greater Minnesota transportation system.”
The 11 projects include seven concrete and bituminous resurfacing projects, such as a $5 million project on Highway 75 in Ortonville and a $16 million project on Interstate 90 from Alden to Albert Lea. Safety projects include a $1.4 million project to install cable median barriers along Interstate 94 east of Sauk Centre.
Before awarding a contract, Mn/DOT verifies the information submitted by the apparent low bidder and lets the contract within 30 calendar days to the lowest responsible bidder.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects were selected using the following criteria:
- Project readiness. Readiness is assessed based on status of environmental review, percent of right of way purchased, and other factors.
- Consistency with performance based plans. Mn/DOT prioritized projects identified within the State Transportation Improvement Program or from the Long Range District Plans.
- Statewide coverage: Because the intent of the program is to create jobs statewide, Mn/DOT worked to ensure that the projects selected provide statewide coverage, job and transportation impact.
- Work type balance. Selecting a variety of project types, such as concrete and bituminous or preservation and safety will best use the entire capacity of Minnesota’s highway construction industry to ensure the best possible project prices, efficient program delivery and job creation.
- Project advancement. Projects already funded in state fiscal year 2009 will not be included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program. The planned construction schedule for a project must be advanced to be included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program. In addition, work must start on projects immediately after letting and contract award. This will ensure that the projects represent new or increased work and, therefore, result in job creation.
More information about American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects is available on Mn/DOT’s Web site at www.mndot.gov.
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