Arlington County is preparing to complete the long-awaited reconstruction of Long Bridge Drive, but first the County Board needs to approve a request for an additional $750,000 for the project.
The transformation of the former Old Jefferson Davis Highway involves converting approximately 2,750 feet of pockmarked roadway — from 12th Street S. to just south of Boundary Channel Drive — into what’s described as a safe, efficient multimodal transportation corridor. Improvements include bicycle lanes, sidewalks, bus shelters, landscaped medians, new gutters and a drainage system.
Despite the fact that Long Bridge Park opened in November 2011, Long Bridge Drive remains a major construction zone.
A county staff report points to trouble with utility companies as the cause for delays. A few years ago the utilities were informed of the need to move utility lines into a common duct bank, mostly at their own expenses. The duct bank was deemed necessary in order to make room for a storm drainage system because no such system had previously existed there. Utility work began in September 2010 and didn’t wrap up until spring of this year.
The county’s contractor, Donohoe Construction Company, has had to stop and re-start work on the storm drainage system a number of times while waiting for the other parties involved to complete their portions of the project. The county staff report says the utility companies caused further delays by making placement errors during installation of the duct, requiring adjustments.
The additional $750,000 in funding is necessary, according to the staff report, “due to the increased time to complete the road reconstruction and due to the County’s mitigation measures to resolve conflicts from incorrect utility installations and lastly,
due to cost escalation caused by the delays and the increased time to complete the roadway.”
If the County Board approves the funding at its meeting on Saturday (July 13), it will bring the cost of the road construction portion of Donohoe’s contract to about $7.5 million. (Factoring in various costs associated with construction of the park itself, Donohoe’s total contract award will be $27.8 million.)
County staff recommends the Board approve the funding request.