Bidding process for TTC-69 will be similar to TTC-35
State allows contractor bids for construction on I-69
April 11, 2006
Longview News-Journal
Copyright 2006
LUFKIN — State officials have taken the first formal action to allow for a private contractor to bid on handling the construction of the proposed Trans Texas Corridor-69, a thoroughfare that could bisect East Texas as part of a trade route connecting Canada with Mexico.
A time line was given in a joint press conference held Monday afternoon by Louis Bronaugh, Lufkin mayor and board member of Alliance for I-69 Texas; Ric Williamson, chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission; and John Thompson, Polk County judge and vice chairman of Alliance for I-69 Texas.
The bid process, not unlike highway construction, can be painfully slow, Williamson said.
"Twenty-years from now is not an unusual length (of time for a corridor to be built)," Williamson said.
The TTC-69 time line begins with the request for qualifications in which the Texas Department of Transportation publishes notice, which occurred with Monday's press conference, followed by a June 7, 2006, deadline for submissions. The short list of proposers will be selected by late July.
At that point, TxDOT will request detailed proposals, with the department allowing for industry review of the proposal before officially publishing it. This is expected to be done in the August/September time frame, Williamson said.
In November 2006, TxDOT will publish the official notice, and in February 2007, proposals will be due. The best value developer will be named by the commission in mid- to late 2007.
Then come the environmental studies, divided into two tiers. Tier 1 will be a broad analysis over the entire length to determine the final study area, with the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Study in late 2006 or early 2007. A record of the decision will come in late 2007. Tier 2 will include detailed alignment studies, likely numerous studies to cover different segments and modes.
"If someone came with a bid tomorrow, they'd have to wait," said Williamson, because everyone should be given a chance to give in their bids, and that could take six months.
"The environmental process typically takes five years for such projects," he said.
But for the first time, Williamson said, the federal government has permitted TxDOT to study the environmental impact on bits and pieces of the corridor which allows the process to be expedited. "If a developer is ready, then those sections can be built."
A press release from the TxDOT concurred with Williamson, stating, "If environmentally approved, the project would be developed as needed and as private sector resources are available."
City Councilman Jack Gorden, executive vice president of First Bank and Trust East Texas and a Lufkin mayoral candidate, wanted to know whether TxDOT was asking East Texans to pay for the connection between Canada and Mexico.
Williamson said the I-69 project was expected to be a toll road.
The interstate will be built by one developer but have different contractors, he said. "I'm guessing it would be between $7.5 and 10 billion." And 75 percent of this amount would have to come from a private partnership.
By asking for early proposals, he said, TxDOT is also hoping for the private partnership to pay for environmental studies.
"It is apparent to the Texas Transportation Commission that neither the federal government nor the state government has the resources to pay for I-69," Williamson said in the TxDOT press release. A private alternative is the best alternative to move forward on this project, he said.
The request for qualifications issued by TxDOT initiates a competitive, two-step selection process to develop a public-private partnership for I-69/TTC.
© 2006 Longview News-Journal www.news-journal.com
April 11, 2006
Longview News-Journal
Copyright 2006
LUFKIN — State officials have taken the first formal action to allow for a private contractor to bid on handling the construction of the proposed Trans Texas Corridor-69, a thoroughfare that could bisect East Texas as part of a trade route connecting Canada with Mexico.
A time line was given in a joint press conference held Monday afternoon by Louis Bronaugh, Lufkin mayor and board member of Alliance for I-69 Texas; Ric Williamson, chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission; and John Thompson, Polk County judge and vice chairman of Alliance for I-69 Texas.
The bid process, not unlike highway construction, can be painfully slow, Williamson said.
"Twenty-years from now is not an unusual length (of time for a corridor to be built)," Williamson said.
The TTC-69 time line begins with the request for qualifications in which the Texas Department of Transportation publishes notice, which occurred with Monday's press conference, followed by a June 7, 2006, deadline for submissions. The short list of proposers will be selected by late July.
At that point, TxDOT will request detailed proposals, with the department allowing for industry review of the proposal before officially publishing it. This is expected to be done in the August/September time frame, Williamson said.
In November 2006, TxDOT will publish the official notice, and in February 2007, proposals will be due. The best value developer will be named by the commission in mid- to late 2007.
Then come the environmental studies, divided into two tiers. Tier 1 will be a broad analysis over the entire length to determine the final study area, with the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Study in late 2006 or early 2007. A record of the decision will come in late 2007. Tier 2 will include detailed alignment studies, likely numerous studies to cover different segments and modes.
"If someone came with a bid tomorrow, they'd have to wait," said Williamson, because everyone should be given a chance to give in their bids, and that could take six months.
"The environmental process typically takes five years for such projects," he said.
But for the first time, Williamson said, the federal government has permitted TxDOT to study the environmental impact on bits and pieces of the corridor which allows the process to be expedited. "If a developer is ready, then those sections can be built."
A press release from the TxDOT concurred with Williamson, stating, "If environmentally approved, the project would be developed as needed and as private sector resources are available."
City Councilman Jack Gorden, executive vice president of First Bank and Trust East Texas and a Lufkin mayoral candidate, wanted to know whether TxDOT was asking East Texans to pay for the connection between Canada and Mexico.
Williamson said the I-69 project was expected to be a toll road.
The interstate will be built by one developer but have different contractors, he said. "I'm guessing it would be between $7.5 and 10 billion." And 75 percent of this amount would have to come from a private partnership.
By asking for early proposals, he said, TxDOT is also hoping for the private partnership to pay for environmental studies.
"It is apparent to the Texas Transportation Commission that neither the federal government nor the state government has the resources to pay for I-69," Williamson said in the TxDOT press release. A private alternative is the best alternative to move forward on this project, he said.
The request for qualifications issued by TxDOT initiates a competitive, two-step selection process to develop a public-private partnership for I-69/TTC.
© 2006 Longview News-Journal
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Tuesday, April 11, 2006
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