Harrisburg, PA – PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian announced that Bridging Pennsylvania Partners (BPP) was selected as the Apparent Best Value Proposer to administer the Major Bridge Public-Private Partnership (P3) initiative to repair or replace up to nine bridges across the state. The department and BPP will now enter into a pre-development agreement to finalize the design and packaging of the bridges to be built, financed, and maintained.

BPP is comprised of the following firms, including six companies headquartered in Pennsylvania:

• Macquarie Infrastructure Developments LLC (Austrailia)
• Shikun & Binui Concessions USA Inc;
• STV Incorporated (Douglassville);
• FCC Construccion, S.A. (Spain)
• Shikun & Binui – America, Inc (Pittsburgh);
• SAI Consulting Engineers, Inc.(Lemoyne);
• Wagman Heavy Civil, Inc. (York);
• Joseph B. Fay Company (Pittsburgh); and
• H&K Group Inc. (Skippack).

"I am proud that we have reached this critical milestone," said Gramian. "Selecting a team brings us one step closer to delivering these important improvements to our infrastructure."

BPP was selected based on criteria including experience and technical approach to carry out the project; their relevant experience and qualifications of key personnel; their investment and financial experience; and their overall understanding of the project and their approach to deliver all project requirements.

The initiative includes the rehabilitation or replacement of select bridges – grouped in packages – and all associated infrastructure investments associated with that specific bridge, including roadway and approach work, improvements to nearby impacted roadways and associated tolling infrastructure, such as gantry structures and toll buildings for each bridge.

The department continues to conduct public involvement and environmental reviews on the nine candidate bridges announced for consideration in February 2021.

The first package of bridges, which will include only bridges that have completed the environmental process, is scheduled to be under contract by December 2022, at which time final design will begin, with construction expected to begin between fall 2023 and spring 2024. Bridges in subsequent packages will take longer to design and construct.

All construction work is mandated to be performed by contractors prequalified for work in Pennsylvania, and at least 65 percent of the construction work will be subcontracted, providing opportunities for Pennsylvania contractors, suppliers and vendors. Additionally, the pre-development agreement phase includes a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise – such as women and minority owned businesses – goal of 13.05 percent, with additional opportunities in future phases of the project.

Senator Wayne Langerholc was not pleased with PennDOT's decision to select a firm not based in Pennsylvania. He told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Langerholc

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” the senator said. “This cannot stand. We have plenty of Pennsylvania companies that are more than qualified to do this work. They wrote the specifications so that no state company could be the lead.”

Sen. Langerholc also told the PPG that PennDOT is tone deaf for continuing the bridge tolling plan.