Federal Highway Administration, 21400 Ridgetop Circle, Sterling, VA 20166

Y -- BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY PROJECT NC NHF 421(10) SOL DTFH71-98-B-00021 DUE 091598 POC Engineering Coordinator, Gary L. Brown, 703-285-0075; Contracting Officer, Mary W. Daigle Sealed bids will be accepted from all business concerns for Blue Ridge Parkway Project NC NHF 421(10), in Watauga County, North Carolina. The project consists of the reconstruction of the Blue Ridge Parkway/U.S. Route 421 interchange and includes construction of retaining walls; facing the retaining walls with either simulated stone masonry or Class B Masonry; removing the existing bridge and replacing the bridge with a concrete box girder structure; widening U.S. Route 421 from a two lane undivided section to a four lane divided section; and miscellaneous minor realignments and related work. Principal items of work and approximate quantities are as follows: Removal of bridge, Lump Sum; Roadway excavation, 145,000 m3; Alternate retaining wall (6 walls), Lump Sum; Aggregate base, grading D, 19,000 t; Hot asphalt concrete pavement, Class A, North Carolina state grading, 10,650 t; Structural concrete, Class A(AE), 1,600 m3; Class B masonry, rock face finish, bridge masonry face, 200 m3; Dimensioned masonry, rock face finish, bridge masonry face, 55 m3; Class B masonry, rock face finish (for retaining wall facing), 5,200 m2; Simulated stone masonry surface treatment, 3,500 m2. The project is expected to fall within the price range of more than $10 million. Invitation for Bids No. DTFH71-98-B-00021 will be issued on or about August 14, 1998. Plans, proposal and contract booklets, standard specifications, and other bid documents, will be available on or after the issuance date, from the Federal Highway Administration, Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division, 21400 Ridgetop Circle, Sterling, Virginia 20166-6511, telephone: 800-892-8776, at no charge to bidders, subcontractors, and suppliers. Please call 703-285-0006 to verify availability of the bid documents. All requests for bid documents and planholder's lists will be mailed first class. It is strongly recommended that all requests for bid documents and planholder's lists be received 7 calendar days before bid opening to ensure receipt of requested materials. Requests for 'faxing' or overnight mailing will not be accepted. Bids will be opened at 2:00 pm, local time, on September 15, 1998, at the address listed above for the office of the Division Engineer. The following applies for Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises: The Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization has bonding programs to assist Minority, Women-owned, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises to acquire short-term capital and bonding assistance for transportation-related contracts. Loans are available under the DOT Short-Term Lending Program (STLP) at prime interest rates up to $500,000 per contract to provide accounts receivable financing. The DOT bonding assistance program enables firms to apply for a bid, performance and payment bonds up to $1,000,000 per contract. DOT provides an 80 percent guaranty on the bond amount to a surety against losses. For further information and applicable forms concerning STLP and Bonding Assistance Program, please call (800) 532-1169. Posted 07/28/98 (W-SN229124). (0209)

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