Chesapeake City officials say it would cost $300 million to replace the aged Jordan Bridge across the South Branch of the Elizabeth River.
Philip Shucet, the former commissioner of the Virginia Department of Transportation, says he can replace the bridge for $100 million — without a penny of local, state or federal funds.
Shucet, who recently retired his post-VDOT job as chief development officer for the Dragas Cos. in Virginia Beach, has aligned himself with Florida-based Figg Bridge Developers, a company that specializes in designing, engineering and constructing bridges.
You can read the background of the story on Pilotonline.com. But what I want to focus on right now is the vast disparity between those two numbers. Is it truly possible that a private firm can replace a major bridge for one third the cost of what the city of Chesapeake expects it to cost? Could the privately built and funded bridge possible meet the same performance standards?
Shucet does have credibility as the commissioner who wrestled the VDOT construction management program to the ground and vastly improved its on-budget/on-time performance, so I’m inclined to believe the numbers are defensible.
Assuming the numbers are, in fact, believable, here’s what I want to know. First, how is it possible that a private sector group can erect a new bridge for one-third the price that a municipality would incur? Someone please identify the savings and efficiencies for me. Second, what other potential savings are lurking out there? Third, why the h*$% isn’t the Commonwealth of Virginia aggressively seeking similar opportunities instead of wringing hands about insufficient tax revenues?
Update: Philip Shucet has provided brief email answers to some of the questions raised in this post and in the comments. Bottom line: the $300 million and $100 million numbers do not represent an apples-to-apples comparison. Click on comments and scroll to the 13th comment for details. Scroll down farther for a second update.
(Photo credit: Pilotonline.)