The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is looking to the private sector to help deliver transportation projects that expand its reach beyond state-owned infrastructure and across all modes, from roads and bridges to rail, aviation and ports.
PennDOT’s Office of Public-Private Partnerships (P3) is allowing unsolicited submissions of proposals until April 30. Another round of submissions is set for October.
The department is seeking projects that could deliver more innovative and efficient transportation for PennDOT and non-PennDOT assets. Proposals may include more than one suggestion, and the P3 Board will evaluate submissions based on their potential to increase safety, strengthen the transportation network and create a positive economic impact for the state.
If previous projects are an indication, the largest bundled bridge project in state history, valued at an estimated $1.1 billion, emerged from P3’s collaboration. The firm designed, built, and financed upgrading 558 structurally deficient bridges from the financial closing date of March 2015 to final construction in late 2020. PennDOT officials estimate that if the traditional strategies had been used, the approximately five-year project would more likely take eight to 12 years to complete. Plenary also contracted long-term maintenance on the structures through 2042.
Another example is PennDOT’s partnership in 2016 with a fuel firm, to design, build, finance, and operate 24 CNG fueling stations fueling 750 transit agency vehicles. As part of the agreement, the firm will maintain the facilities until 2037.
The scale of what PennDOT has already accomplished through P3 partnerships suggests that when it comes to what’s possible next, the ceiling is largely self-imposed.
Photo by Kelly from Pexels
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