CHARLESTON–
West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, along with Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox and the Coalfields Expressway Authority, announce the awarding of a nearly 3 mile section of the Coalfields Expressway in Wyoming County.
Bizzack Construction, LLC, out of Lexington, KY, was awarded the contract with a bid amount of $45.2 million. The project consists of a nearly 3 mile section that will connect the City of Mullens to existing sections already under construction. When complete, the expressway, from the Sophia exit of the West Virginia Turnpike to Mullens, will be open to traffic.
“Continued construction of the Coalfields Expressway is a key part of our expansion and continued development of West Virginia’s highway system,” Gov. Tomblin said. “This project is another way to show new and expanding companies that West Virginia is a great place to do business. Not only will this Expressway have a lasting effect and help expand West Virginia’s economy, it will serve and improve the productivity of our roadways now and for years to come.”
“This Coalfields Expressway contract is significant because it represents the Division of Highways’ first Public Private Partnership (PPP) project under Senate Bill 190, which was endorsed by Governor Tomblin and enacted during the 2013 legislative session,” stated Secretary Mattox. “I am especially pleased with the fact that the bid amount is more than $18 million under the Division’s in-house estimate. That is a great savings to the people of West Virginia, a testament to the vision and leadership of Governor Tomblin and the efficiency of this method of project delivery.”
Richard Browning, Executive Director of the Coalfields Expressway Authority stated, “I want to thank Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox, FHWA WV Administrator Tom Smith and the Coalfields Expressway members for their work in developing this history making public private construction contract on the Coalfields Expressway. Lastly, I want to thank Bizzack Construction for their due diligence in securing this contract. In four years, when this contract is complete, the road will be open and usable from Sophia to Mullens, thus completing an important phase in construction. Now, I look forward to beginning the discussion on building the road from Mullens to Pineville.”
Construction on the project should begin in the Spring of 2015 with an anticipated completion date in the Fall of 2018.