A Pittsburgh company is the apparent low bidder to replace the
U.S. Route 219 Bradford bypass starting next year.

After opening bids Thursday, Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation Community Relations Coordinator Marla Fannin said
Mascaro Construction Co. of Pittsburgh is the apparent low bidder
for the project, coming in with a bid of $55,432,529.65.

All told, officials said there were about a dozen firms that
were interested in doing the work.

Fannin said the agency will now look over the paperwork
submitted by Mascaro, including ensuring the contractor is
qualified for the work and that its bonding is correct, among other
things. Officials said the notice to proceed will likely come in
about eight weeks.

“The bid is within reason,” Fannin said of the price tag. “We
are one step closer to getting started. It’s a huge project and
very important, not only for Bradford, but for the surrounding
communities.”

Fannin said Mascaro will also likely use subcontractors when
doing the project.

The project will be done in two phases – the first phase will
begin in the spring, likely during the first part of March. The
total project will span over two years.

As part of the project, officials said the bypass will be
completely restored and a handful of bridges along the 6.93-mile
corridor will be replaced. The second phase of the project will be
completed in 2007.

The first phase of the project includes $2 million in federal
funding; the second phase is expected to cost $37 million.

PennDOT Project Manager Tom Zurat said as part of the work, the
existing concrete pavement will be removed from the surface of the
highway and be replaced with bituminous material.

While the work is ongoing, Zurat said the southbound lanes will
be completed first, adding a previous inspection of the bridges on
that portion of the highway indicate they are in worse shape than
those in the northbound lanes. The highway’s ramps leading onto the
expressway will also be replaced at that time.

The southbound lanes head from the New York state border towards
Owens Way and South Avenue.

After the southbound lanes are completed, work will begin on the
northbound lanes, with traffic being shifted to the newly completed
southbound lanes.

During the course of the project, detours will be set up to
direct traffic around the construction.

The project was originally supposed to be put out for bid in
October, but that deadline was pushed back. In September 2004, the
bypass had $99,000 in repairs, including pot hole patching and
paving of sections of highway. The work was intended to keep the
bypass in the best possible condition until the larger
rehabilitation project begins.

According to Mascaro’s Web site, the company specializes in
developing buildings, public facilities, research and health care
centers, residential units, industrial projects, roads and bridges
and other facilities. The company is also rated as one of the
largest construction contractors in western Pennsylvania and one of
the top 400 contractors in the United States. It is also ranked in
the Top 300 Largest Highway Prime Contractors by the Federal
Highway Administration.

Among the projects Mascaro has worked on include the Petersen
Events Center in Pittsburgh, a residence hall at Washington &
Jefferson College and the Biomedical Science Tower 3 in
Pittsburgh.