MORGAN COUNTY, Ind. -- State lawmakers are using the I-69 construction project mess to push their efforts to require more information when the state hires contractors for large projects.
The bill, co-authored by Rep. Ed Delaney and Rep. Tim Brown would require the Indiana Finance Authority to only consider potential contractors who have "experience and quality performance in comparable projects in North America" in the previous two years.
The original completion date for section five of the I-69 project, between Martinsville and Bloomington, was October 2016.
READ | State takes over I-69 project amid constant delays
Delaney claims that the contractor, Isoflux Corsan, not having experience building similar roads in the U.S. caused multiple delays in the timeline for completion and eventually a state takeover.
The project is now set to be complete sometime in August 2018.
A review of state documents shows that Isoflux Corsan was one of four contractors that made the Indiana Finance Authority's "short list"
Brown says independent teams selected the company after weighing a number of factors, including finances and the ability to build the road to INDOT’s specifications.
Isoflux Corsan was based in Spain and had three projects in the U.S. at the time they were awarded the contract but none of those were road construction.
“I think the process at the time was appropriate,” said Brown. “They didn’t weigh the idea of the company having experience in the technical part of it.”
The new proposal would change that.
The House unanimously approved the bill this week. It now heads to the Senate for vote.
I-69 DELAYS | I-69 project between Bloomington and Martinsville delayed again | More headaches, delays for State Road 37 construction | I-69 expansion project delayed; new timeline estimates October 2017 completion | I-69 from Bloomington to Martinsville is nearly a year behind schedule | Completion date of I-69 expansion from Bloomington to Martinsville unclear | I-69 in Bloomington delayed again, set for 2018
Top Trending Videos
