PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Transportation signed a contract with 6/10 Constructor to rebuild the 6-10 Interchange in Providence, the department announced Thursday.
The group had the lowest construction cost bid for the project at $248 million and the highest scoring technical proposal of any bid.
The 6/10 Constructor bid team includes New England companies, Barletta Heavy Division Inc., O&G Industries Inc., D.W. White Construction Inc. and Aetna Bridge Co.
The proposal was a design-build contract, which RIDOT says reduces the risk of cost overruns by creating a team that consists of both designer and contractor. The multi-faceted team is expected to decrease change orders and design errors.
The $410 million project has been “on the drawing board for 30 years,” according to RIDOT.
“Fixing the bridges on the 6-10 Interchange and improving the traffic pattern will ensure that Rhode Island drivers are safe and will add to our quality of life,” said Gov. Gina M. Raimondo in a statement.
“The design … will solve historic congestion problems in the interchange. We are getting an excellent product with a top rate design for less money. This is truly a win-win for Rhode Island,” said RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr.
RIDOT said that 20 percent of the project design has been completed already. The department expects the design to be ready in one year, with an expected construction completion in the fall of 2023.
Currently, seven of nine bridges on the interchange are considered structurally deficient.
The winning bid was also picked due to its proposed reduction of impact on traffic during the construction by means of rerouting and phasing traffic throughout the project as well as a permanent reduction of traffic and congestion.
The design is also supposed to reduce future infrastructure maintenance cost due to a “significant reduction in bridge deck area.”
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
