Quote Originally Posted by thomprod View Post
Cost-cutting pressures due to lower maintenance budgets have lead MDOT to issue construction, repair and repaving contracts to the lowest bidders. The lowest bidder usually skimps on materials in order to maximize profit. Many contracts include a bonus for the contractor if they complete a project ahead of schedule, which is another incentive to cut corners.
MDOT designs the project in nearly all cases. In the case of a design build contract they require a much longer [[20-30 year) lifespan to which the contractor is held accountable and must buy insurance to ensure that the fixes if needed are made.