Once again, a great find by a blog reader, Tony. Kudos to the NCTA for assembling what appears to be quite the conglomerate of all stars with proven track records and expertise in the necessary fields. That said, like being a real estate agent, you are graded on results. Below is a release from Lochner posted in Streetinsider.com:
RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Lochner MMM Group announces their selection as the lead consultant for engineering and environmental services on the Mid-Currituck Bridge Private-Public Partnership (P3) project for the Currituck Development Group in partnership with the North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA). Located in Currituck County, North Carolina, the project is estimated at $640 million.
The Currituck Development Group is led by concessionaire/developer ACS Infrastructure Development and Dragados USA with other local engineering and environmental team members, including Arcadis, Golder & Associates, Gibson Engineers, Wetherill Engineering, Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Alpha & Omega Group, McKim & Creed and Baird & Associates. Team members also include Traylor Brothers, Weeks Marine, Bermingham Foundation Solutions, ARUP, Planning Communities, Deloitte, Jorgensen and TBE Group.
The team was selected over two other shortlisted proposers. The final selection criteria included: development approach, risk-sharing, revenue planning, technical expertise and personnel and resources.
The NCTA is pursuing the project as a pre-development agreement (PDA), rather than a conventional P3. Terms of the PDA allow the private partner to join the project in the conceptual phase to assist with various pre-development elements. Negotiations on the terms between NCTA and the consortium are expected to continue in the short-term as the project planning is underway. Within 18-months, the NCTA is expected to request a proposal from the consortium for building the new bridge.
The seven-mile project is intended to improve traffic flow between US 158 and NC 12. Additional improvements on NC 12 south of the bridge terminus for a distance of two to four miles, plus improvements on US 158 for emergency evacuation may also be required.
According to Roy Bruce, the environmental and design lead for Currituck Development Group, "The professional team assembled by ACS Infrastructure Development for this project combines proven international P3 experience with extensive North Carolina knowledge. This team is very excited to have this opportunity to work collaboratively with NCTA on this important transportation project."
Lochner MMM Group, LLC is a partnership of H.W. Lochner Inc. (Lochner), a respected US-based engineering firm with a local office in North Carolina for more than 20 years, and the Canadian firm of MMM Group Limited with extensive involvement in more than 18 Canadian P3 transportation projects. The partnership was formed to pursue large-scale public-private partnership transportation projects within the United States. For additional information about Lochner MMM Group, visit www.lochnermmmgroup.com.
