One of Pennsylvania’s  marquee highway projects currently moving forward thanks to Act 89 of 2013 is the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway project, a 13-mile, $670 million limited access highway that will run from north of Selinsgrove to PA 147 south of Montandon.

The project will separate trucks and through traffic from local traffic, reducing congestion, improving safety and accommodating economic growth. It is scheduled for completion by 2024.

This week, PennDOT opened bids for the second of seven contracts that will be part of the project. Four companies submitted bids for earthwork and drainage along a three-mile stretch in the northern portion of the project.

This gives us a chance to illuminate a fact that most of the public does not know: about three-quarters of PennDOT’s construction budget is put out for bid to private-sector construction firms.

Competitive bidding assures that the resources are used as efficiently as possible. It also debunks a popular myth regarding PennDOT’s stewardship of construction resources.

Once a private sector company submits a bid, there is tremendous incentive to see that the project stays on schedule and on budget. It’s a system that works much better than many people realize. For more information about the thruway project, click here.

Transportation Issue Update