New company taking care of interstates

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

The Virginia Department of Transportation’s Bristol District was one of the first in the state to use a contractor for interstate and major primary highway maintenance. Now, most of the VDOT districts have followed suit with the remainder required to do so by July 1, 2009.
“The process has worked well,” noted Michelle Earl, VDOT public affairs officer in Bristol. “The Bristol District was one of the first districts to use a contractor.”
On July 1, TME Enterprises of Norfolk was awarded a $43 million contract by the Commonwealth Transportation Board to maintain 149 miles of I-81 and I-77 in the Bristol area. The company opened an office on Chapman Road near the Fort Chiswell community in June.
According to general manager Eric Brooks, a Bland County resident, the local office has 25 employees and a fleet of equipment. It will be responsible for approximately 52 miles of I-81 and I-77 in Wythe and Bland counties.
VMS previously held the contract for work in Wythe and Bland counties.
The five-year performance-based contracts began July 1 and may be renewed for up to four years. They cover the areas of roadway maintenance (litter pick up, pothole repair), drainage system maintenance, mowing, guardrail and sign repair, snow removal and incident response.
VDOT will retain responsibility for major bridge and pavement rehabilitation projects. These will be awarded to contractors on a case-by-case basis.
“VDOT used a competitive bidding process to choose from 19 private sector proposals to assume maintenance duties on Virginia interstate highways,” said VDOT Commissioner David S. Ekern in a press release. “We are committed to work with the private sector where it makes good business sense. These contractors are able to assume maintenance responsibilities and provide high levels of customer service for about the same as it costs VDOT to complete similar work. Working closely with the private sector, we feel confident that we will be able to continue to deliver safe, smooth roadways and emergency response to Virginia motorists.”
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .