Portsmouth bypass project put on fast track

Transportation officials are reviewing the winning bid package for what will be the largest single roadway construction project in modern state history.

The $429 million Portsmouth bypass project in southern Ohio is a 16-mile, four-lane limited-access highway from Rt. 23 north of Lucasville to Rt. 52 near Sciotoville.

The Ohio Department of Transportation said the new roadway will complete the missing Ohio link of the Appalachian Development Highway System, which runs from Mississippi to New York through the eastern United States.

It’s the first-ever publicprivate partnership the department has embarked on, the culmination of two years of preparatory work. ODOT says the unique business arrangement will allow it to accelerate

The contract covers the first public-private partnership the department has embarked on, officials said. The deal accelerates the project by decades.

the bypass project by decades and take advantage of current economic conditions.

Portsmouth Gateway Group was the winner in a three-way contest when bid packages were opened recently, and it likely will land the job after a thorough state review, the state said.

The consortium comprises Dragados, USA Inc., Beaver Excavating Co., John R. Jurgensen Co., ms Consultants, ACS Infrastructure Development, Infrared Capital Partners Limited and Star America Fund GP.

It was one of three teams chosen in September 2013 to submit technical and financial proposals for the project. The group’s formal bid will be scrutinized over the coming weeks to ensure that everything is complete and financial details are correct.

Real estate already has been acquired for the project, which marks the department’s largest modern earthwork project to date. Clearing and demolition have begun, and construction is expected to start next summer.