Dan's Excavating of Shelby Wins Bidding War for Gateway Construction Project

Dan's Excavating of Shelby Township will begin construction on the Gateway Project in southwest Detroit as early as Monday.

Dan's Excavating was the lowest bidder, and will complete the long-delayed $230 million Gateway Project at the Ambassador Bridge.

The Shelby Township firm's $9.3 million bid beat Walter Toebe Construction of Wixom's $9.6 million bid Monday. Both companies had been short-listed for the bidding process by the Michigan Department of Transportation based on their qualifications, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The Gateway Project, designed to ease border crossings by connecting the Ambassador Bridge directly to local interstates through a series of new ramps and roads, was originally to be built by MDOT and the Detroit International Bridge Co, which operates the Ambassador Bridge.

However, delays and legal disputes between MDOT and DIBC led Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Prentis Edwards in March to force the DIBC to cede control of their portion of the Gateway Project, and MDOT was ordered to complete the remaining work, according to a news release.

The Detroit Free Press reports that the DIBC is appealing Edwards' decision.

Edwards had ordered the DIBC to deposit $16 million into an MDOT account to fund the remainder of the work.

The project is expected to be completed by October.

Dan's Excavating Has a Big Job Ahead

According to MDOT, the first priority is to construct the two-lane truck route leading from the DIBC plaza to I-75 and I-96. This truck route will remove all inbound commercial traffic from the local streets and take it directly to the freeways. This two-lane truck route, a vital component in the Gateway Project design originally agreed upon in 2004, is expected to be completed and open to traffic on May 20. Afterwards, the multi-lane roads within the plaza will be reconfigured, also to meet the original agreed upon design.

Follow Gateway Project updates on the project Web site: www.michigan.gov/gateway, on Facebook: www.facebook.com/mdotgateway, and on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mdotgateway.        

NOTE: This story was updated at 8:45 a.m. April 13 to correct the spelling of bidding in the headline.