Accelerated Bridge Program
JUNE 2012 UPDATE
Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence
June 2012 Executive Summary
The summer 2011 construction season was a season of firsts for MassDOT and proved to be particularly successful for the Accelerated Bridge Program (ABP). The goal for 2012 has been to continue to build upon this momentum, and on April 13, 2012 the ABP did just that, kicking off the 2012 season with another ‘Heavy‐lift’. The River Street project was the first location where the ABP has used the ‘Heavy‐lift’ technique to accelerate construction and minimize impacts for both roadway and transit users. In just one weekend the bridge that carries River Street over the MBTA in Hyde Park was replaced. The project was a huge success and both River Street and the Fairmont Line were reopened well ahead of schedule. The project also captured national attention when the New York Times covered the project and made it a front‐
page story entitled, “Did Someone Order an Instant Bridge?” The ABP has strived to establish MassDOT as a leader in rapid bridge construction and as the New York Times stated, “Nowhere have the various techniques for speeding bridge work been more enthusiastically embraced than in Massachusetts.” move in April 2012 for River Street over MBTA A mild winter has allowed for a productive spring and already the construction season is well underway. In 'Heavy‐Lift' bridge
in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston May, phase two of the Brimfield New England Extreme Tee (NEXT) Beam project was completed. Initiated in 2011, this project was MassDOT’s first use of the NEXT Beam precast section and two additional bridges will be constructed in 2012 using this same design. In Taunton, construction of the Holloway Street project also began with the erection of the Prefabricated Bridge Units (PBUs), the same technology that was used to complete the ‘93Fast14’ in Medford last summer. Over the coming months numerous projects will be constructed utilizing prefabricated or precast elements allowing for shorter construction durations, and reduced impacts for roadway users and local communities. Locations include Worthington, Charlemont, Dover‐
Needham and Northbridge, to name just a few. There are currently 73 projects actively under construction, with another 8 in procurement. To date 87 projects have been declared complete and of these projects 73 (or 84%) have completed on budget and 75 (or 86%) have completed on time. While expenditures are currently lagging behind the original fiscal year 2012 projections, the rate of spending in construction has picked up this quarter. It is currently estimated that by the end of the state fiscal year the ABP will have spent approximately $298 Million. To date a total of $835 million has been expended since the program’s inception, $590 Million of which has been construction contract spending. Since a significant portion of the program’s budget can be attributed to the five mega projects, it is anticipated that the rate of construction spending will rise significantly as these projects move into construction in early 2013. Already a construction notice‐to‐proceed has been issued for the Worcester‐Shrewsbury Lake Quinsigamond project, while three of the remaining four projects have entered procurement. Once all five of these projects are underway we are expecting annual construction expenditures in the range of $400 to $550 million. Data represented in this report is through at least May 1, 2012 unless otherwise indicated
ABP Website Update_2012‐06_REV‐0.docx 6/12/2012 8:44 AM 2 June 2012 As the level of construction spending increases, the number of jobs created or sustained due to the ABP investment also continues to rise. As of May 1, 2012 over 15,000 direct construction jobs had been created or sustained as a result of the ABP. The program also continues to exceed the 14% goal for M/W/DBE participation. This quarter the M/W/DBE participation is 15.7%, with minority or women‐owned businesses obtaining $142M of the $902.6M in contracts awarded to date. MBE/WBEs competing as prime contractors have secured $51.4M or 5.7% of the contracts awarded to date. Continuing to not only meet, but exceed the participation goal demonstrates that MassDOT is committed to providing Access and Opportunity for all, while our success can be attributed to the effective outreach provided by our Office of Civil Rights. The March Quarterly Report discussed the importance of providing better customer service and how MassDOT values positive feedback from legislators and the constituents they represent. Equally as important to us is the support and acknowledgement of our successes by our peers in the design and construction community. To be recognized as an agency that is not only thinking creatively, but that is delivering projects efficiently is something to be proud of. This also validates for our customers that MassDOT is truly using innovation to deliver projects faster than ever before and to mitigate cost for the Commonwealth. On April 12, 2012 MassDOT received two awards from the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) New England Chapter, one for the ‘93Fast14’ project and a second award for the Wellesley Cedar Street project. The ‘93Fast14’ Design Team also received the American MassDOT's '93Fast14' Management Team pictured with
the ACEC Grand Conceptor Award for Engineering Excellence Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Massachusetts, Grand Conceptor Award for Engineering Excellence and an Honor Award at the ACEC national level. Collaboration between MassDOT, the Contractors and Designers has made these projects successful. The ABP has been ‘Doing Business Differently’ and this would not have been possible without the support of our partners in both the design and construction industry. Repeatedly the consultant community has been asked to think outside the box, to embrace innovation and to provide creative solutions. Contractors have been asked to deliver projects more quickly than ever before, using new technologies, without compromising quality. The ABP would not have been able to fulfill its goals if the design and construction community had not risen to the challenge and embraced these objectives. As the end of year four of the program approaches, over 83% of the projects have been advertised for construction, while 43% of the projects have been declared complete. Already the number of structurally deficient (SD) bridges has been reduced by over 19% and is trending to achieve the target of 450 SD bridges by 2016. With an additional four years of the program remaining there are certainly many challenges ahead, however, MassDOT and its industry partners can be proud of the Program’s achievements to date. Victoria Sheehan Accelerated Bridge Program Data represented in this report is through at least May 1, 2012 unless otherwise indicated
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