An out-of-state contractor will secure the largest contract for the Hartford-New Britain Busway, a $567-million project launched, in part, to create Connecticut jobs.
Massachusetts contractor Middlesex Companies bid the lowest on a $130-million contract to construct part of the busway. The contractor, which has a long history of working in Connecticut, is negotiating with the state Department of Transportation to finalize the award.
“We are the ones they are picking, we just haven’t been awarded the contract just yet,” said Bob Mabardy, president of Middlesex Companies. “We are excited to work with the Connecticut DOT again. We’ve done many projects for them in the past, and we hope to do many for them in the future.”
The imminent selection of the Littleton, Mass., company riled up union laborers in Connecticut, who saw the busway as a promise to help increase the employment of construction workers in the state. The number of Connecticut jobs for construction workers has dipped 28 percent since 2008.
“This is part of an ongoing dilemma that has reached a boiling point,” said Charles LeConche, business manager for the Connecticut Laborers’ District Council.
LeConche said Connecticut needs to push forward legislation that helps prevent out-of-state contractors from receiving state-government work, and address other issues such as assuring prevailing wages are paid on state jobs. With Democrats controlling both houses of the legislature and the governor’s office, LeConche believes such measures should garner widespread support.
“If I can’t get it done under a Democratic administration, that is freaking terrible,” LeConche said.
The federal government provides 80 percent of the funding for The Hartford-New Britain Busway, with the state kicking in $112 million toward the goal. The project provides an exclusive road for buses to travel from downtown Hartford to New Britain and is hoped to increase public transportation and relieve congestion on Interstate 84.
The project languished for years because of disputes over its construction costs, community impact and operating expenses. Gov. Dannel Malloy gave the project its final push in April, saying he the project would create untold jobs.
Because the federal government funds the majority of the project, the state DOT legally can’t limit the contractors receiving the awards, said DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick. The busway contracts each go to the lowest responsible bidder.
“If you were to limit your pool to in-state contractors, you would limit yourself in cost and quality,” Nursick said.
Just because the contract recipient comes from out of state, that doesn’t mean the company won’t hire Connecticut workers for the project, said Mike Sanders, DOT transit administrator.
“We’re hiring a general contractor, and he’s not going to fly people in from 1,000 miles away and put them up in hotels and pay for meals when they have plenty of workers right here,” Sanders said.
Middlesex Companies worked on Connecticut projects previously, notably the foundation for the Interstate 95 bridge over the Quinnipiac River and the Fairfield Transportation Center. The company has established relationships with Connecticut laborers and subcontractors, and Mabardy said they will play a role in the $130-million busway contract.
“We hire out of Connecticut,” Mabardy said. “Most of the people that work on the Connecticut projects live in Connecticut.”
Middlesex Companies does not hire union workers, Mabardy said. Its subcontractor awards are based upon the lowest qualified bidder, regardless of whether a company runs a union shop.
The busway projects are broken down into 11 separate contracts awarded via separate bid processes. Two of those contracts have been awarded, and the bids were opened on another four.
Of the two awarded, a $10.4 million contaminated soils management contract went to North Haven-based Empire Paving. Another $4 million utility relocation contract went to Ludlow Construction Co. of Ludlow, Mass.
Of the four contracts under negotiation with low bidders, Connecticut companies will secure three.
New Britain contractor Manafort Brothers bid lowest on the $26.7 million New Britain Station contract and the $8.1 million contract to replace the Broad Street bridge in Hartford. Empire Paving bid lowest on a $39.4 million contract to construct a portion of the busway between New Britain and Newington.
The fourth contract under negotiation with the low bidder is the $130 million contract for Middlesex Companies, including construction of the busway between Newington and Hartford, seven stations and eight new bridges.
Of the total contracts so far, out-of-state general contractors receive $134 million while Connecticut contractors receive $84.6 million.
Most of the bids for the various contracts came in lower than expected, Sanders said. The total for the six contract bids opened and/or awarded chopped $76 million off the original estimates. The total busway price tag could rise or fall as other contracts bid and change orders come in, but any savings at the end will split proportionately between state and federal governments.
“People are being very competitive with their pricing,” Sanders said. “I’m glad that the project is finally moving forward.”
