Case Study: Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT)

Challenge

On the morning of January 10, 2017, a mobile car crusher on northbound I-465 crashed into the Rockville Road Bridge, leading to the destruction of four of the 14 load-bearing girders. The interstate and overpass were immediately closed by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to secure the location and assess the damage, at which time it was determined the damaged girders needed to be removed.

The bridge carried a main artery into town from the west side of Indianapolis – more specifically into the portion of town where the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is located. May is a significant month in the city with not only the Indianapolis 500 taking place during Memorial Day weekend, but also all the other events that take place around it, including a Grand Prix race, concerts and a half marathon. With this month quickly approaching, time became a pressing issue.

Solution

In early 2016 INDOT launched a Job Order Contracting (JOC) program to reduce project costs and delivery time. JOC is an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) construction procurement method renowned for its speed, versatility and cost-control benefits.

Specifically, the INDOT JOC contract is designed for high-priority bridge repairs that are beyond what can typically be performed by in-house maintenance crews. In partnership with awarded JOC contractor, Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Inc., the department used this existing bridge maintenance and repair contract to complete emergency repairs as soon as possible.

To save time, demolition and construction began before the formal purchase order was issued. During this period one lane of eastbound traffic was redirected across the median to share the unharmed westbound side of the bridge. “The best in people is often on display in the case of unforeseen circumstances, and that was certainly true in response to the damage to the Rockville Road bridge over I-465,” said INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuinness.

Results

The project was completed swiftly, and the road and bridge were reopened to the public in time for the Indianapolis 500 as well as the city’s other events surrounding the month of May.

“Our contract with INDOT’s IDIQ pilot program allowed all parties to quickly serve our community’s immediate need. The program, for this particular application, greatly reduced the total time from procurement to completion for the emergency bridge repair and the total impact to travel for the public and nearby businesses,” said Mark Bentley, Business Development Manager for Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Inc.

If a traditional bidding method had been utilized, it was estimated the project would have taken six to eight months to complete. Utilizing the JOC preestablished pricing helped lessen the potential risk of paying a premium that might have been expected with a change order or a separately let project with an expedited delivery timeframe.

McGuinness continued to describe the project’s success: “INDOT and our partners at Rieth-Riley Construction [worked] long hours to make repairs as quickly as possible. To rebuild a bridge – a project that might otherwise take as long as six months – in about six weeks is extraordinary. I’m thrilled to be able to fully reopen this major thoroughfare to west side motorists – just in time for a busy month of May.”

Both INDOT and Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Inc. were honored with the 2017 Harry H. Mellon Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting for exemplary use of Job Order Contracting throughout the $1.3 million project.

See more project details in this short video.