FORT WAYNE – Despite being nearly $500,000 more expensive than projected, Fort Wayne and the state will proceed with the Clinton Street bridge project.
Michael Rauch, district program budget manager for the Indiana Department of Transportation, said Wednesday that the state awarded the massive span replacement to R.L. McCoy Inc., for $7.54 million. The state’s estimate for the project was $7.06 million.
He said the notice to proceed with construction could be issued in the next two to three weeks with actual work happening soon afterward. The official start has not been determined, he said.
Dave Ross, Fort Wayne engineer, said the city is waiting for the cost breakdown for the project to determine why the bid came in higher than projected. He said the city did recommend the state award the contract to R.L. McCoy because of the firm’s excellent work on past projects.
The Fort Wayne Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved $566,000 in engineering costs for the project to DLZ Indiana. Ross said this extra expense was expected – it was for work already completed – and remains in the city’s budget for design work. The state will pay for 80 percent of the design costs.
The state had planned to rebuild the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge over the St. Marys River as part of its regular maintenance. Fort Wayne officials took that maintenance as an opportunity to make it a gateway to the city’s downtown.
The city and state plan to construct a concrete bridge deck, which can be built in sections and will include truss-type arches and cables to enhance its aesthetics.
In doing so, two lanes of southbound Clinton Street will remain open over the river throughout the two-year construction. The bridge has three lanes.
The state is providing $3.2 million for the bridge, and federal earmarks are providing $3.4 million for the work, leaving the city with about $1 million in expenses for the span. That money will come from local income taxes.
Who pays the extra costs is still being determined, Ross said, as it will depend on what parts of the project were more expensive. The city also said it could downgrade some of the project’s features to lower the cost.
