On June 26, 2008 the Office of Business Opportunity and Workforce Development, in cooperation with the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project held a seminar entitled “How to Build a Bridge,” for contractors, construction-related firms, workers/laborers, and DBE/MBE service providers.

“Our goal is to prepare businesses and workers for the types of opportunities that will become available once the construction phase of the Ohio River Bridges Project begins,” said Betty Fox, Program Director.

Chuck Wood, P.E. of Palmer Engineering Company and Maurice Sweeney of United Construction and Design Group spoke at the seminar. Both work on the Kennedy Interchange portion of the bridges project. They presented information about the types of work and materials that go into the building of a major bridge and related road work.

Sweeney and Wood described their participation in the design phase of the LSIORB Project, currently one of the largest transportation projects in the nation. Through a visual presentation, Mr. Wood described, in detail, the design and construction of the Taylor-Southgate Bridge over the Ohio River at Cincinnati.

“There are many goods and services that go into the construction of a modern day bridge,” said Wood. “Business owners and workers of all types can benefit by knowing as much as they can about the opportunities that will be associated with the Ohio River Bridges Project. Carpenters, painters, concrete finishers, iron workers, as well as all kinds of laborers and material suppliers are just a few of the types of workers and local companies that will be needed once construction begins.”

Below is a partial list of materials and services that typically could be provided by local subcontractors and will be required during the construction phase:

• Clearing and grubbing
• Removal of structures
• Roadway drainage
• Erosion control
• Traffic control
• Asphalt paving
• Non-structural concrete
• Steel reinforcement
• Guardrail
• Masonry materials
• Concrete and steel pipe
• Lighting materials 

 

Before the Notice to Bid on the first construction phase is issued, information will be sent to all KY certified DBEs by the Project Manager and the KY DBE Program Manager of the Ohio River Bridges Project.