Slim spread in Indianapolis' CSO tunnel bids Aug 2011
Paula Wallis, TunnelTalk
In what is the largest bid ever opened in the history of Indianapolis, tunneling contractors lined up yesterday (August 11, 2011) hoping to be the low bidder for the Deep Rock Tunnel Connector CSO contract.
The City received nine tightly competitive bids from most of the top US tunneling contractors, and a few internationals. All of the bids were below the Engineer's Estimate of about US$280 million, with the Shea/Kiewit JV submitting the apparent low bid of $180.2 million (Table 1).
All of the bids included a mandatory alternate for an Owner Controlled Insurance Program (OCIP) versus a Contractor Controlled Insurance Program (CCIP).
The contract scope includes the Deep Rock Tunnel Connector and the Southport Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility Levee. The 8-mile (12.9km) long Deep Rock Tunnel Connector (DRTC) is the spine of the City's US$1.7 billion Long Term Control Plan to curb stormwater overflow of raw sewage into local rivers and streams, a project mandated under a Federal Consent Decree.
Table 1: Bids for the CSO connector and treatment plant levee
Contractors Tunnel Levee
Shea/Kiewit JV $180,213,565.00 $ 5,219,550.00
Flatiron $183,360,476.00 $ 9,442,000.00
Judlau/Michels JV $198,787,655.00 $12,100,000.00
Frontier-Kemper $204,175,330.48 $ 7,096,362.00
Walsh/Vinci JV $204,578,783.00 $ 6,391,217.00
Kenny/Traylor/Jay-Dee $208,095,530.00 $ 7,015,520.00
Indi Tunnel Constructors* $235,246,431.00 $15,394,400.00
Indianapolis Tunnel Partners** $246,088,885.00 $ 4,610,650.00
Obayashi/WL Hailey $264,284,775.00 $10,692,225.00
*  Indi Tunnel Constructors = Schiavone Construction & Super Excavators
** Indianapolis Tunnel Partners = Southland & Oscar Renda & Mole Constructors
Fig 1. Deep Rock Tunnel Connector alignment

Fig 1. Deep Rock Tunnel Connector alignment

The hard rock TBM drive, at about 250ft (76.2m) underground, will start at the Southport Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) Plant, and progress northwards to just north of the Belmont AWT Plant (Fig 1). Much of the 18ft (5.5m) i.d. tunnel will be unlined with a cast-in-place concrete lining anticipated only where necessary.
When completed, the tunnel will capture and treat about 3.5 billion gallons of sewage from the three largest overflow locations into the White River as it flows through Indianapolis.
On Wednesday (August 9), the City also approved a US$25 million construction inspection contract for the project with Aecom and Black & Veatch. Aecom also holds the design contract for the DRTC. Black & Veatch is designing future deep tunnel CSO extensions along the White River and Fall Creek. Additional storage tunnels will also extend along the Pleasant Run and Pogues Run waterways.
If all goes to plan the City expects to issue a notice to proceed for the DRTC in mid October. Under the Consent Decree mandate, the citywide tunnel system is to be complete and fully operational by the end of 2025.

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