MassDOT approves Casey bid

The state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Board of Directors voted to approve a contractor for the Casey Arborway project last month.

Demolition of the existing Casey Overpass likely will begin before year’s end. Traffic detours and the date for closure of the bridge are not yet determined.

The project required a vote because the cost of the contract exceeded $15 million, MassDOT Spokesperson Michael Verseckes told the Gazette. The contract was awarded to Barletta Heavy Division, Inc. Their bid was $59,925,000.

“The next step is to issue the Notice to Proceed to the contractor; following that, the contractor, MassDOT staff, local emergency response, and other city officials meet to discuss scheduling, staging, and other aspects of the project that city officials need to be informed about,” Verseckes said in an email.

The contractor will then set up a field office, identify a staging area and make a determination as to how they are going to bring in their equipment and materials, Verseckes explained.

“That can take as few as 30 days or as long as 60 days depending on the complexity of the project,” he said.

Demolition was first planned to begin this fall. But Verseckes previously told the Gazette that, because the project is overseen by three departments within MassDOT—Highway, MBTA and Capital Asset Management—some of the contracts had to be sub-bid, which led to the delay.

It is unclear what the project’s schedule will be, or if will meet its planned completion date of September 2016.

According to the project team, the federal funds that will pay for the project expire at that time. Verseckes previously told the Gazette that there is a chance that deadline could be missed. However, that does not mean the whole project would be compromised. If the project misses that crucial deadline, the state would be able to use funds from a state bond program to complete the project.

Known as the Casey Arborway, the project will replace the Casey Overpass, which carries the Arborway over the Forest Hills T Station area. A new six- to eight-lane surface road will be constructed.

The state’s project website is massdot.state.ma.us/caseyarborway.

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