PennDOT’s approach on Liberty Bridge fire

Regarding your editorial on the settlement agreement relative to the Liberty Bridge fire (“Pay the Fines,” July 16): PennDOT does hold contractors accountable for impacts on our projects in several ways. The circumstances surrounding the Liberty Bridge project and the impacts of the Sept. 2, 2016, fire damage are quite complex. I would like to summarize the impacts of the fire event and how things played out to drive completion of the project through safe and expedient resolution.

The fire damage required closure of the Liberty Bridge well outside of the parameters of the contract. Contractual damages for undue travel delays on the motoring public amounted to $3 million. In addition, the department expended approximately $800,000 in engineering costs to assemble a team of leading engineers from universities and consultants to address traffic flow concerns and ensure a safe resolutionof the fire damage.

The contractor expended $5 million to develop jacking procedures, construct a temporary support to stabilize the structure and then make permanent repairs. The department is not reimbursing the contractor for these costs. PennDOT is requiring the contractor to reimburse us for our $800,000 expenditure referencedabove.

Afterthe bridge was reopened last year, the contractor accelerated the work with additional overtime to recover time lost during the bridge closure. This cost the contractor approximately $264,000. PennDOT did not pay the contractor anything extra for this effort.

To reduce further delay impacts to motorists, the department negotiated a revised approach with the contractor. We agreedto allow closures and traffic impacts that were originally precluded by the contract, and waived further liquidated damages relative to these, to remove the traffic restrictions faster. Yes, the motorists were impacted on these days, but the total duration of impacts was reduced.

To do this work in an expedited fashion within these modified parameters, the contractor expended approximately $648,000 to accelerate their efforts to complete the traffic restrictions at the agreed pace. PennDOT did not pay the contractor anything extra for this accelerated effort.

So, to summarize, the contractor expended quite a sum to rectify the damage, and to accelerate the completion of work requiring traffic restrictions as negotiated. The concessions PennDOTyielded were intended to return full access to the bridge for regular traffic flow faster than originally planned. I hope this explains why PennDOT tookthis approach. LESLIE S. RICHARDS

Secretary Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

Harrisburg his family members as key people in his Cabinet. So much for keeping his business interests separated from running the country.

Second, are the Trump voters still on board with his campaign promises and the pace of his accomplishments? What happened to the promise of medical care at affordable prices for all — “it will be so easy.”

The reality is so different, is it not? Now he wants the Affordable Care Act to fail just so he can blame the Democrats. So much for being an innovative leader putting the interests of Americans of all ages ahead of politics.

Mr. Trump’s daily tweets speak volumes about this man’s character as well as his penchant for threatening to fire administration members who fall out of grace. This president is a major “flip-flopper,” often changing on key issues according to his mood at the time.

Finally, what this president has done, and how he acts and talks, is reflected by how he is viewed not just in America but on the world stage. RAYMOND TOMER

Shaler

I stayed up until 2 a.m. Friday morning to witness this very limited “skinny repeal” of Obamacare’s most onerous requirements go down because three Republican senators voted no with all of the Democrats.

The penalties to force people to have Obamacare as well as the “Cadillac tax” for those union members and others who had above-average health coverage would have disappeared. These three so-called Republicans might as well have been Democrats who voted in this unconstitutional monstrosity called the “Affordable Care Act,” which has made all health care more unaffordable.

This vote would have been less galling had the Senate not carved out exemptions for themselves and their staffs so they would not be beholden to Obamacare’s least palatable requirements. Too many of these representatives have access to salaries, benefits, and pensions that other Americans can only dream of, that’s why they can vote the way they do, and that’s why they should be term-limited just like the president.

Finally, I object to Sen. John McCain’s comments referring to talk radio hosts and listeners as being “bombastic.” As Annenberg studies have shown, talk radio listeners are better informed than the rest of the general public on most issues. Furthermore, talk radio hosts have come up with many positive suggestions that they believe would improve the plight of this country and its citizens, and I’m not referring to just the top 1 percent. MICHAEL CONTES

New Kensington