ODOT estimate on cost revised

It’s official: Brayman Construction, the Pennsylvania outfit that submitted the lowest bid last week in the Ironton-Russell Bridge project, will indeed get to build that bridge.

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Thursday officially awarded the $81.2 million contract.

In a prepared statement, ODOT said the Brayman bid is now four percent below the agency’s “final” estimate of $84.5 million. The estimate used last week when bids were opened was $76 million, making the bridge approximately 6 percent over estimate. Thursday’s statement gave no indication why ODOT officials had revised their numbers.

“We’re very pleased to award this project, and we’re looking forward to the start of construction,” District 9 Deputy Director Vaughn Wilson said. “This a very important project, not only for the department but also for the people of Ironton and Russell, and it culminates years of hard work, patience and diligence.”

The project calls for replacing the existing bridge that connects Ironton with Russell, Ky., by relocating it between Second and Jefferson streets in downtown Ironton and the U.S. 23 viaduct south of Russell. The project also includes demolition of the existing or old bridge upon completion of the new structure.

Although a start date has yet to be determined, it is anticipated that the contractors will begin preliminary site operations and mobilizing crews by early spring. The project has a four-year window for total completion, with an interim completion in the fall of 2015.

Brayman Construction Corporation is headquartered in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania.