In
July of 2007, as a result of a routine inspection, the Washtenaw
County Road Commission (WCRC) was required to close the Liberty
Road Short-Span Bridge in Lima Township due to severe
deterioration and structural failure of the abutments.
With the continued decrease in road funding, the WCRC was faced with a difficult decision of leaving this bridge closed or taking money out of reserves. Deciding to move forward with this project, it was determined that the replacement of the existing bridge should be a timber bridge which is an ideal solution for low traffic, as well as keeping the natural setting of the area. In addition, as the WCRC crews have built timber bridges many times, significant savings could be realized by eliminating unnecessary contract work. However, as the WCRC does not have the equipment or experience required to drive the timber piles for the foundation, it was necessary to solicit quotes for this portion of the work.
When estimates for this work were received at approximately
$70,000, Kelly Jones, Project Engineer, knew she had to “think
outside of the box” to identify and secure alternative
solutions. To solve the budget problem Ms. Jones looked into
collaborating with other road commissions. Understanding that
Lenawee County Road Commission (LCRC) has the proper equipment,
resources, and trained personnel, Ms. Jones approached Robert
Lewis, Lenawee County Road Commission Operations Manager, to
inquire about a more cost-effective option by contracting with the
LCRC's crew to install the timber piles. Lenawee County Road
Commission was enthusiastic to cooperate with WCRC as they too
have seen their budget affected by the declining fuel tax revenue.
The total LCRC contract cost of $40,000 included $30,000 for
the pile driving operation, and an additional $10,000 for the
removal of the existing bridge foundations, which were not
feasible for the WCRC to remove. Even with the additional costs
for the foundation removal, the total contract with LCRC was
$30,000 less than the original estimate for only driving the
piles. To date the timber bridge replacement has cost the WCRC
approximately $150,000 which includes all contractual materials,
services, and labor costs.
Once
all remaining labor costs associated with the construction of the
bridge are accounted for, the total cost of replacing the bridge
will be well below the original total estimated costs.
With this collaborative effort between the two road commissions, our agencies were able to work together to save the public a considerable amount of costs. Steven Puuri, Managing Director of Washtenaw County Road Commission, agrees that “Our agency has invested a great deal of time and effort into fostering good working relationships with various agencies; joining efforts with Lenawee County on this bridge project is another example of cooperation that has saved us additional dollars”. WCRC continues to look for opportunities to coordinate road commission projects by integrating our efforts with others to achieve a greater level of financial accountability and efficiency.
For additional information on Liberty Road Bridge contact Kelly Jones at jonesk@wcroads.org or see background and project updates at www.wcroads.org/roadwork/bridges/liberty-rd-bridge-2008.htm