RELEASE: CONTACT:

IMMEDIATE Tamara Neale 804-786-6458

CO-3 Jan. 17, 2003

VDOT Receives Two I-81 Proposals

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) received two conceptual proposals from private entities to improve Virginia’s Interstate 81 corridor under the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995 (PPTA), as amended.

The firms that submitted conceptual proposals are:

Fluor Virginia, Inc.
The major design-build contracting firms are Granite Construction Company in joint venture with Lane Construction Company; Gilbert Southern Corp., a subsidiary of Kiewit, and Fluor assisted by Virginia based Shirley Contracting Company.

STAR Solutions
Star Solutions is a consortium of APAC, Inc., Adams Construction Company, English Construction Company, Inc., KBR, Inc., Koch Performance Roads, Inc., W-L Construction & Paving, Inc. and Wilbur Smith Associates.

VDOT received the proposals by 4 p.m. today, the official deadline.

“We requested proposals so we can generate more competition and bring forward the best and brightest ideas the private sector has to offer,” said VDOT Commissioner Philip A. Shucet. “We asked the private sector for not only road-widening solutions, but more importantly, for multi-modal and high-tech solutions. We also expect the proposers to share in the financial risk of improving I-81.”

Governor Mark R. Warner said he supports efforts to improve I-81 through the PPTA. "I am strongly committed to making the much-needed improvements to I-81," the Governor said. "I am pleased that the private sector has stepped forward to partner with the state in this innovative effort to address the transportation and public safety needs in the I-81 corridor."

Next critical dates in 2003:

· Feb. 14 – VDOT reviews administration requirements and determines whether to move one or more proposals to the initial stage of review.
· July 11 – If VDOT moves forward with the process, the agency selects one or more of the proposals for negotiations on this date.
· Sept. 30 – VDOT’s target date for completing negotiations.

Last September, VDOT solicited conceptual proposals from private entities to design, build, improve, maintain and/or operate all or parts of I-81 through Virginia. The proposals were solicited under the PPTA process, which allows for VDOT to partner with the private sector to build roads more efficiently.

Some of the improvements in the solicitation include:

· developing the corridor as a multi-modal facility, shifting a portion of future commercial traffic to rail;
· incorporating a high degree of efficiency and safety for all users, which may include the physical separation of commercial and passenger vehicles;
· considering transit, or other higher occupancy travel, in and around growing urban areas;
· evaluating potential to serve as a high-speed passenger rail corridor;
· connecting I-81 to airports, freight rail lines, the Virginia Inland Port, or other existing rail and transit facilities, and;
· using Intelligent Transportation Systems as short-, mid- and long-term solutions to improving transportation flow and management.

VDOT plans to post the proposals on VirginiaDOT.org before 11 a.m. on Monday