Missouri Picks One Contractor to Fix 800 Bridges

[Up2Late]

Source: NPR

Missouri Picks One Contractor to Fix 800 Bridges

Listen to this story... by Missy Shelton

All Things Considered, September 5, 2007 · Missouri plans to issue a single contract
for repairing and maintaining 800 of its worst bridges, which
will quadruple the pace of bridge repairs in the state.

Missouri is believed to be the first state to try this
approach — placing the upkeep of so many bridges in the
hands of a single contractor. The project gained momentum
and attention after the deadly Minneapolis bridge collapse
this summer, but lawmakers had outlined the plan more than a year ago.

Missy Shelton reports from member station KSMU.

(more in the audio at link)

Read more: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14191386

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This sound like a really bad idea to me, there are so many things that could go wrong with this plan. But I think the most amazing part is that it's Missouri that is doing this. Why? Because Missouri is the most conservative state I've ever lived in.

[Judi Lynn]

1. Yes, it does sound HORRIBLE. Can't begin to understand how they can justify it.

Here's more:

Mo. bridge repair bill signed
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
09/06/2007

ST. JOSEPH, mo. — Gov. Matt Blunt signed legislation Wednesday that supporters say will allow the state to fix more than 800 bridges within five years.

Under the plan, called the Safe and Sound Bridge Program, Missouri will drastically speed the repairs of its bridges by awarding a single 30-year contract to fix and maintain 802 of its worst bridges.
(snip)

The contractor that wins the job will be required to fix or replace the 802 bridges within five years, rather than the two decades it would take at the state's current pace of bridge maintenance. The contractor would be paid only after all repairs are done and would have to maintain the bridges in satisfactory condition for the next 25 years.

Only three states — Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Iowa — have more bridges in poor condition than Missouri. Of Missouri's 24,024 bridges, nearly 20 percent, or 4,595, are structurally deficient, according to a 2006 Federal Highway Administration report.

Almost all of the bridges included in Missouri's plan are in poor or serious condition, meaning they are just a step away from closure. Even with the large repair project, 171 other bridges in serious or poor condition would not be repaired.

More:
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/missouristatenews/story/1E5B49299DDA8A5E8625734E0012FEEE?OpenDocument

[Cobalt-60]

5. No corruption here

Right.
There must be many firms in Missouri capable of bridge building on some scale.
It would fire the economy to spread this work out.
But crony corruption is the Blackshirt way.

[sandnsea]

2. paid after all repairs are done?

Can someone explain how that would work?

Sounds like a job for...

Halliburton! Bechtel! Fluor!

Crony Conservative Capitalism

TO THE RESCUE!!

[Up2Late]

7. I had all the same thoughts when I heard about this...

...I just hope that it's only just that and not something worse like, contracting out to some Chinese Construction Corp or to the bin Laden Family or something.

[Trajan]

3. Look for a neocon sycophant in the stream .....

feeding on the bottom of human corruption .....

[Lucinda]

4. I would think that it might be a specialized job

and that there might not be a whole lot of licensed companies who could manage it?

[kickysnana]

8. Just all the ones that managed it before today. MO wasn't buiilt yesterday. n/t

[Sherman A1]

6. Missouri is indeed a very conservative place

However, the Boy Governor (Blunt-R) has been doing a whole lot of road work since he took office. St. Louis pretty much has the market cornered on road barrels. It's absolutely nuts to try and get around town. I will not mention the cuts he made in healthcare when he took office, but our roads will be nice.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

9. Well.... it's better than 800 contractors fixing one bridge, and yes

this stinks to high heaven. Now will this one contractor sub out most of the work he doesn't want/can't do or will he/she go for it all. My guess is that there will be a lot of subbing going on but at what cost?

[Robb]

10. Forgive me, but there might not be a problem here

Accountability would be the key.

In the Netherlands, for example, long contracts like this are awarded for road construction. One company builds the roadway, and the same company is contractually tied to maintaining it for the next decade or three. The advantage is they tend to build it correctly from the get-go, and to last, to save money in the long run. They use asphalts we never use in the U.S., that actually last ten times as long -- but only cost about 7 times as much. Win in the long term, if you're required to keep the road up.

Listen to the story. Here, the company will be bonding and financing up front for 30 years. "Repair and maintain," according to the story, and they don't get dime one until the end of the contract -- 30 years from now. (On edit: it appears they get a portion of the money after they've finished repair work, and the rest at the termination of the contract. If they finish in 5 years, they get a nice payday, but by no means all the money.)

[Up2Late]

11. I understand what you are saying, though I know nothing about Dutch roads...

...but do you think this plan will work in this country?

How will this company stay out of Bankruptcy Court?

I guess my main question is, will this Dutch style plan work the Capitalist system we have in the U.S.?

[trusty elf]

12. I wish someone would fix this bridge

[ikojo]

13. I wonder how much money this firm

gave to the Blunt campaigns.