State issues RFP's for the DRIC

[kraig]

So far this project has gone from 1.6 Billion to 3.5 Billion to 5 Billion. This DRIC project is already starting to become more screwed up than the Bluewater Bridge project is, and it's just getting started. And if you talk to anyone from Port Huron, they'll tell you how screwed up the Bluewater Bridge project is.

I hope that the people of Delray are paying attention to the kind of money that's being spent on the DRIC. Don't let yourselves get lowballed.

Twenty-four days is an awfully fast turnaround time. It looks as though the powers that be have someone in mind and are trying to make it difficult for the competition.

State issues border RFPs

By Dave Battagello, The Windsor StarJuly 3, 2009

The Michigan government has issued seven requests for proposals related to a new Windsor-Detroit bridge.

The Michigan government has issued seven requests for proposals related to a new Windsor-Detroit bridge.
The proposals issued by the Michigan Department of Transportation seek companies interested in winning contracts for bridge design, freeway design and esthetic design. A consultant co-ordinator is also being sought on the U.S. side. Each RFP has a closing date of July 27.
The Detroit River International Crossing project, including a new downriver bridge, is designed to link Highway 401 in Canada to I-75 in Detroit. It is expected to cost up to $5 billion and produce 12,000 full-time jobs.
DRIC is a binational partnership that includes federal, provincial and state government officials on both sides of the border.
The project is being challenged by Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun who has been pushing for construction of a twin span next to his 81-year-old bridge.
The state government last week filed a lawsuit against Moroun's bridge company, alleging in part that the billionaire businessman has started building a new crossing without several required government permits.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Ontario earlier this week released a request for qualifications to shortlist teams to design, build, finance and maintain the proposed $1.6-billion Windsor-Essex Parkway, a border feeder highway in Windsor under the DRIC plan.
The nine-kilometre below-grade route in the Talbot Road-Huron Church corridor includes 11 short overpasses which total 1.8 kilometres of coverage.
The RFQ indicates the new parkway will be the largest highway investment in Ontario's history.
It includes 300 acres of green space, 20 kilometres of recreational trails and extensive landscaping throughout the corridor. The Windsor-Essex Parkway will be owned and operated by the government and will not be a toll road, according to the RFQ.
Officials with Infrastructure Ontario could not be reached Thursday for comment.
The shortlisted teams selected by the ministry will be invited to respond to a request for proposals should the required approvals under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act be granted. The timetable for those approvals is expected to come late this summer or early fall.
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