November 2012
Walsh Chosen as Preferred Bidder for Ohio River Bridges
Indiana and Kentucky are working together to fulfill the cross-river transportation requirements of the Louisville and Southern Indiana region through construction of the Ohio River Bridges Project. Kentucky is responsible for the Downtown Crossing while Indiana is responsible for the East End Crossing.
On November 15th, 2012, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials announced that Walsh Construction was named the apparent winning team to build the Downtown Crossing of the Ohio River Bridges Project. The team's "apparent best value" bid included the highest technical score, a cost of $860 million and a projected completion date of December 10, 2016 - more than 1 ½ years earlier than Kentucky’s requirement of June 30, 2018. The “best value” was determined through an evaluation process that scored proposals based on overall price, technical proposals and workforce requirements. The price and schedule counted for 70%, the technical proposal 25% and the workforce plans for 5%.
Construction will begin in 2013 for the Downtown Crossing, which includes a new Interstate 65 bridge, a revamped Kennedy Bridge and reconstructed interchanges in downtown Louisville and Jeffersonville, Indiana.
The following day, November 16th, WVB East End Partners - a consortium consisting of Walsh Investors, Bilfinger Project Investments and VINCI Concessions - was named preferred bidder for the East End Crossing P3 contract by the Indiana Finance Authority (IFA). WVB East End Partners will design and build the East End Crossing for $763 million, which is 23% less than IFA's previous cost estimates. The proposal commits to opening the new bridge to traffic by October 31, 2016, compared to the original estimate of June 30, 2017.
The contract covers the financing, design, construction, and operation and maintenance for 35 years of a 2,510 foot main span, twin tower cable-stayed bridge across the Ohio River that will link Louisville, Kentucky to Southern Indiana, a twin bore tunnel on the Kentucky approach to the bridge of approximately 1,800 lf in length and 19 additional bridges, along with associated roadway improvements and other related infrastructure work.
The new East End Bridge will be located about 10 miles from downtown Louisville, connecting the Gene Snyder Freeway to the Lee Hamilton Highway.
The $2.6 billion Ohio River Bridges project is one of the largest transportation undertakings in the country.