WVDOH Rejects Single Bid On Suspension Bridge Project
Trending
WHEELING -- The West Virginia Department of Transportation’s Division of Highways rejected a single bid received for the Wheeling Suspension Bridge project, the agency announced Tuesday.
According to DOH officials, they received a single bid in the amount of $17,707,834.00, more than double the DOH engineering estimate. So after careful consideration, they decided not to award the bid.
State Secretary of Transportation Byrd White said DOH officials are committed to doing the right thing, the right way, for the Wheeling Suspension Bridge and for the taxpayers of West Virginia.
“Due to the historic nature of the bridge, there are a lot of factors of which we have to be mindful," White explained. "In this case, we decided that the reasonable approach would be to take another look and hopefully attract more competitive bidders."
DOH District 6 Engineer Tony Clark said by only receiving only one bid on the project, which was twice the DOH engineers estimate creates an issue -- especially when the DOH doesn't have multiple competitive bids to evaluate and compare it to.
"And with this type of work, a lot of it is unique to that structure," Clark explained. "At the end of the day, this is ultimately being paid for by taxpayers' money and we need to be as efficient as we can with the taxpayers' money."
The intent of the renovation project, Clark said, is to "maintain the integrity of the structure." It is still undetermined if the bridge will eventually be reopened to vehicular traffic.
The bridge was closed indefinitely to vehicular traffic in September 2019. A Coach USA Lenzer bus, exceeding the bridge's two-ton weight limit, crossed the bridge and damaged it in June 2019. It was reopened and closed several times before it was closed indefinitely.
WVDOH will review the plan documents and assess whether there are options available for reducing the risks or adding efficiencies to the project, then make the determination whether to re-advertise the project. This process is expected to take three to six months, with the hope of attracting multiple bids for the work.
Clark said that, while the DOH plans to step back and review project plan items, they "remain committed" to getting the renovation project completed on the historic structure.
He said he is hopeful the DOH can put it back out to bid in that three-to-six month window.