Contractor Warns I-74 Bridge ‘Not Buildable’

Waterways Journal ^ | December 6, 2019 | Waterways Journal

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

The lead contractor for a Mississippi River bridge is involved in a now-public feud with the state of Iowa over whether the bridge is buildable.

The I-74 bridge is meant to replace a bridge on the same location connecting Moline, Ill, and Bettendorf, Iowa. Known as the Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge, the bridge is a pair of suspension bridges located near the geographic center of the Quad Cities.

The original bridge was designed by engineer Ralph Modjeski. The first span opened in 1935 as a toll bridge. In 1961, an identical twin span, built from the same blueprint, opened to facilitate increased traffic demands. The twin spans were merged with Interstate 74 in 1975.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I-74 Bridge workers: Contractor Lunda purposely delaying bridge (11/7/19)

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Federal legislators urge cooperation on Interstate 74 bridge project (11/23/19)

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Iowa DOT Director: Despite dispute with contractor, I-74 bridge is buildable (11/21/19)

[tallyhoe]

Get a new Contractor who can build it!

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Bettendorf, we have a problem.

PING.

[Magnum44]

This seems to be about money, not engineering. Did they underbid to get the contract?

[z3n]

Trump can bring it in under budget and ahead of schedule

[TheBattman]

They took the contract to build it (which includes a whole lot of study), they began construction and fell behind schedule, missing several deadlines - so they can’t come up with an excuse, so they now say the bridge is “unbuildable”? Seriously?

[NEMDF]

Probably said that on the (maybe bad) advice of their attorney. ?

[MrBambaLaMamba]

Dynamite the bridges then implement an enviro-friendly ferry service

[BenLurkin]

Underbids and “unbalanced” bids a the norm on public projects.

Construction companies go to great lenghts to conceal where in their bids there is a means for them to invoke contra t provisions for increasing the payout over the amount bid.

Construction companies delight in soaking the taxpayers and laugh about the ease with which they banboozle the contrcting agencies.

Am NOT saying that is the case here.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I would just correct any errors, build the damn bridge and then impose tolls to pay for any cost overruns occurring because of this dispute. You could call these tolls the Stupidity Tax.

[Ouchthatonehurt]

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

It will be a helluva nice bridge if it ever does get finished.

[SpaceBar]

Build them by hand out of quarried stone with convict labor.

[BillyBonebrake]

They contractor needs to find some contaminated soil asap and submit some handsomely padded change orders. At least that’s how it works in my region.

[GingisK]

“...buildable...”? Why do people make words up so often these days? It is a failure of education?

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

LOL!

[MinuteGal]

Call in the guy who built the bridge over the River Kwai !!!

Leni