DURHAM -- The American Tobacco Trail bridge over Interstate 40 has hit yet another holdup.
This time, the culprit is a wage dispute between the NCDOT and the U.S. Department of Labor. The dispute involves estimates the Labor Department uses to set wage rates for projects that use federal money, such as the long-awaited pedestrian/cyclist bridge near Southpoint Mall.
City Manager Tom Bonfield notified City Council members Thursday that the dispute won't be settled until after Jan. 1. Therefore, the bid opening scheduled for Dec. 15 has been pushed off until Jan. 25.
The bridge is in its second round of bidding. In July, the lowest first-round bid came in $2 million over the appropriated funding. After some months of studying and juggling budgets, city administrators came up with enough to cover the shortfall and advertised for bids again.
The I-40 bridge has been on Durham's wish list since 1999. Designing, re-designing, inflation, permitting, reorganization at City Hall and other factors have repeatedly delayed the project, which will complete the 22-mile greenway between downtown Durham and New Hill in southwestern Wake County.
