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Nationwide Stories

Alabama - Sewer corruption scandal cost ratepayers at least $336 million because of waste, cronyism, and graft during the first 8 years of the program.  Since 2005, 21 county officials and contractors have pled guilty or been convicted of taking advantage of a system that had little oversight and allowed no-bid contracts.

Boston's "Big Dig" - The largest public works project in the nation’s history has been plagued with death, criminal indictments and convictions, mismanagement, bankruptcies, bribery, and a touch of the mafia.  Privately designed, privately constructed, privately inspected, and privately managed, the project to put highways underground in Boston took twice as long (20 years) as originally estimated and the cost jumped from $2.7 billion to more than $15 billion.

Connecticut - The drainage system installed as part of a $52 million I-84 widening project is so defective that portions of the highway will have to be excavated to fix it.   Some of the drains lead nowhere; others filled with debris; still others appear to have been connected with substandard, cracked, and leaking pipe.  The State fired the company that held the $6 million contract to inspect work on the project. 

Delaware - Plans to use design-build procurement process have resulted in protests being filed by the team with the low bid after they lost out on the preliminary award.  The protests, and fears of subsequent lawsuits, have prompted the State Transportation Secretary to scrap the bids.  Additionally, the original design for the approaches done by Figg Engineering, is being investigated by DelDOT and FHWA as being possibly flawed.

Hawaii - In Honolulu, four new rail contracts will cost $1 billion.

Illinois - Illinois Governor Got $80K from Road Builders

Indiana - Following an initial investigation into design flaws by a private engineering company that were believed to be responsible for a large amount of truck rollovers on the ramp from I-465 South to 70 East in 2005, a local news station conducted a series of reports entitled “Highway Robbery” that went on for two years.  These reports exposed fraud, waste, corruption, and political favors as courses of business for the Indiana DOT.   Additionally, concerns are being expressed about a recent transaction in which a private consortium took over the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road with a one-time payment of $3.8 billion. 

Maryland -  Some commuters are likely to be priced out of future toll routes in Maryland and Virginia That Could Cost $200 or More - a Week

Minnesota - On August 1, 2007, the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing 9 people.  Minnesota state officials chose to use design-build without competitive bidding as the method for rebuilding the bridge.  Joint venture Flatiron/Mason with Figg Engineering were awarded the design build contract despite proposing to take longer and being 32% higher than the lowest bid. 

Mississippi - A column form collapsed during reconstruction of the Bay St. Louis Bridge killing one of nine workers tossed into the water.  This is a $266.8 million design build joint venture project involving Granite Construction and Archer Western Contractors.

Missouri - The Missouri Department of Transportation is using design-build to fast-track the three year reconstruction of I-64 through St. Louis within a $535 million spending limit.  This is the first design-build highway project in Missouri. 

Nebraska - Costly consultants and a big budget lead to a pricey project price tag in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Nevada - The planned widening of I-15 will be the first Nevada highway project using design-build although questions have arisen about cost and government oversight.  Last year the Nevada DOT estimated the cost for the project around $210 million but when the design-build project was awarded the cost escalated to $242 million. 

New Jersey - In September 2007, a survey of 1,230 New Jersey voters expressed opposition to both privatization and to selling or entering into a long term lease for the New Jersey Turnpike. 

Oregon - After entering into a $150 design build contract with the State of Oregon in 2005 to rebuild a stretch of US 20, Granite Construction is seeking to terminate the contract, claiming that new complications will add two years and $61 million to the cost of the project.   

Pennsylvania - Hobbled by the credit crisis, Wall Street firms and many state governments are hoping that a pockmarked strip of Pennsylvania highway could provide a road out.

Rhode Island - State police have launched an investigation into DOT spending and contracting amid allegations of altered payroll records by one of the better known engineering firms.   Among initial findings is that the department outsourced functions without documentation or cost-benefit analysis of outsourcing. 

Texas - In 2007, the Texas legislature passed a bill that would put a two-year freeze on the creation of privately held toll roads.  The moratorium was sought after concerns were raised about a recently approved deal with Cintra Concessiones in which Cintra would pay the state $2.8 billion in concessions and provide more than $2 billion in construction and maintenance.  Among the concerns were clauses in the privatization contracts  that bar the state from building free roads that “compete” with toll roads.  After initially expressing opposition to the bill, the Governor ultimately signed the bill into law.

Vermont - Union members are questioning decisions made by Vermont communications company Fairpoint to outsource 34 credit collections jobs to a Mississippi firm.