The Washington State Department of Transportation is moving forward with a design-build contract to build pontoons to replace the aging SR 520 floating bridge. Three pre-qualified contractor teams were selected to submit proposals for this $300 million to $600 million contract that is expected to create approximately 2,000 project-related jobs at the height of construction in 2013.

The three selected teams are: Grays Harbor Constructors Joint Venture; Kiewit-General a Joint Venture; and Skanska, Mowat, Manson Joint Venture. The contractor teams must submit their proposals to WSDOT by Nov. 24, 2009, and WSDOT is expected to announce the apparent best value proposal before the end of the year.

The SR 520 Pontoon Construction Project includes the design and construction of a new pontoon construction facility in Grays Harbor County beginning in 2010, the design and construction of the new bridge pontoons, and storage of pontoons for the planned SR 520 floating bridge replacement or if they are needed in the event of a catastrophic failure.

“We are thrilled to announce these pre-qualified teams for the pontoon design-build project,” said Mike Cotten, Design-Build Manager for the SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program. “We look forward to seeing how the teams propose innovative ideas to deliver the project on time, within budget and with the highest level of quality.”

Contractor teams also will be asked to outline their plans for addressing environmental regulations and outreach to tribes and communities.

In order to help crews begin pontoon construction as quickly as possible, WSDOT recently awarded a $2,756,000 contract for an innovative pontoon testing effort to Quigg Brothers, Inc. This research and development effort involves field-testing various pontoon construction methods and techniques at Satsop Business Park in Satsop to provide detailed design information for the design-build contractor. Crews will begin this testing work later this summer and finish by the end of the year.