SURF CITY - For the thousands of
residents and visitors who flock to the coast each year, a new and better bridge
is on its way to make the trip safer and faster. The completion of the bridge
replacement project in Surf City is likely to accelerate, largely due to an
incentive for the contractor to finish ahead of the original contract time.
“From the beginning, the contract for this project has included a
$10,000 per calendar day incentive provision regarding the completion and
placement of traffic on the new bridge,” said NCDOT Division 3 Construction
Engineer, Kevin Bowen. “The completion date for this provision is September 25,
2019. The contractor originally could earn up to $1 million for opening the new
bridge to traffic prior to that completion date. The only change we have made to
the contract on this incentive is to raise the maximum from $1,000,000 (100
days) to $3,000,000 (300 days).”
“The contractor has demonstrated to the department that it is
feasible to complete the bridge and open it to traffic sooner than the original
contract limitations, at a financial cost,” said Bowen, “And the department
agreed to increase the incentive opportunity for the contractor to do so.”
The incentive does not
guarantee an earlier opening of the bridge to traffic, but provides a financial
reward for accomplishing that goal.
Conversely, if the contractor does not complete work on time, it
will be assessed $10,000 per calendar day penalty for every day the project goes
beyond September 25, 2019.
The cost of the incentive is offset by a savings to the department
for engineering and inspection, user costs to the general public due to delays
from the swing-bridge, public inconvenience, emergency service response times,
obstruction of traffic, interference with business, and the cost to maintain and
operate the existing swing bridge.