ODOT Issues Notice of Default to Design Builder on US 20 Project

[xonhulu]

The Oregon Department of Transportation is issuing Notice of Default to Yaquina River Constructors (Granite Construction Company), the Design Builder on the U.S. 20: Pioneer Mountain to Eddyville Project.

Under a Design Build contract, responsibility for engineering, design and construction of a project is held by the Design Builder.  Work on the project has been stalled since early 2010, when it was discovered that several of its bridge columns had moved out of plumb. The Design Builder has made no acceptable progress on four major bridge sections and other related work since then.

The rest of the article, and the actual letter ODOT sent to the contractor, can be found here:

http://www.us20pme.com/news.html

My impression is that there's plenty of blame to spread around, as I've heard ODOT was told early on the new route would have problems, but the contractor should have done their due diligence as well.  All I know is $173 mill has been spent on a road that won't be open for the foreseeable future.

[NE2]

Time for a roads-to-trails conversion.

[J N Winkler]

This is good news.  It tends to discredit design-build as a procurement method.  It also puts the project more firmly on the road to completion because in engineering difficulties of the kind so far encountered, the absolute first step is to stop pretending that the design in hand will work.

[xonhulu]

The Eugene Register-Guard just ran a 5-part series on the US 20 Pioneer Mtn - Eddyville project; here's the link if you feel like some lengthy reading:

http://www.registerguard.com/web/news/28907854-57/became-dangerous-fiasco-highway-straightening.html.csp

[kkt]

The Eugene Register-Guard just ran a 5-part series on the US 20 Pioneer Mtn - Eddyville project; here's the link if you feel like some lengthy reading:

http://www.registerguard.com/web/news/28907854-57/became-dangerous-fiasco-highway-straightening.html.csp

Unstable slopes in the Coast Range?  Who woulda thunk it?   

[sp_redelectric]

All I know is $173 mill has been spent on a road that won't be open for the foreseeable future.

That seems to be a popular trait with certain other ODOT projects, including one particularly well-known Portland area project...