Gateway project awarded - local contractor to start work next week

Contact: Rob Morosi, MDOT Office of Communications,
morosir@michigan.gov
248-483-5127

Agency: Transportation

April 12, 2012 -- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) today announced the design-build team of Dan's Excavating/TransSystems has been awarded the contract to complete the Gateway project in southwest Detroit.

In a March 8, 2012 Opinion and Order, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Prentis Edwards directed the Detroit International Bridge Company (DIBC) to cede control of their portion of the $230 million Gateway project and ordered MDOT to complete the remaining work. Judge Edwards ordered the DIBC to place $16 million into an account to fund construction by MDOT.

Since the March 8 decision, MDOT has worked diligently to expedite a design-build contract. On April 9, Dan's Excavating of Shelby Township was announced as the low bidder at $9.3 million. Dan's Excavating plans to begin work by Monday, April 16, with all work expected to be completed in October.

The first priority is to construct the two-lane truck route leading from the DIBC plaza to I-75 and I-96. This truck route will remove all inbound commercial traffic from the local streets and take it directly to the freeways. This two-lane truck route, a vital component in the Gateway project design originally agreed upon in 2004, is expected to be completed and open to traffic on May 20. Afterwards, the multi-lane roads within the plaza will be reconfigured, also to meet the original agreed upon design.

Follow Gateway project updates on the project Web site: www.michigan.gov/gateway, on Facebook: www.facebook.com/mdotgateway, and on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mdotgateway.

The design-build construction method accelerates completion by having the preparation of construction plans and construction to occur in tandem. The Design-Build team takes the Agreed Design from the Gateway Agreements and develops the first stage construction level drawings, while at the same time beginning early-stage construction. The team continues to develop the plans for the next stage of work, while construction takes place on previous stage, until the project is complete.

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