MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2000
Mayor Williams, Delegate Norton, DOT Secretary Slater Launch Effort to Maintain Major District Roadways
(Washington, DC) Mayor Anthony A. Williams, joined by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater, and other officials today launched a $70 million, five-year model contract to bring major reform to the maintenance and preservation of 75 miles of key roadways in the District of Columbia.
DC Streets: An Innovative Partnership for Better Roads is the first urban, performance-based highway project of its kind. The public/private partnership involves the Federal Highway Administration, the District government's Division of Transportation in the Department of Public Works and private industry. The contract will allow the District to redeploy personnel to concentrate on local roads and neighborhood streets.
"This partnership will enable the city to do a better job of providing its citizens, visitors, and businesses with smoother pavements and safer roadways on both the National Highway System and in local neighborhoods," said Mayor Williams. "I am pleased to welcome Secretary Slater and Congresswoman Norton as symbols of the federal commitment to full partnership with us as we rebuild the District's roads. This partnership will help us achieve the gold standard of service for our citizens."
The Division of Transportation selected VMS, Inc. to be responsible for key parts of the city's National Highway System, including the Southeast/Southwest Freeway, Connecticut Avenue, 16th Street, NW, all of Pennsylvania Avenue, Branch Avenue, SE, and the Suitland Parkway. VMS will manage these heavily used roadways, responsible for pothole repair and street maintenance, graffiti removal, bridge and tunnel maintenance and much more. There also will be opportunities for local community involvement.
"The Nation's Capital is one of America's most treasured sites, and President Clinton has asked the federal government to be a good neighbor to the District of Columbia," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater. "Under this unique partnering agreement, major roads and minor streets will be better maintained, which will benefit residents and visitors alike in Washington."
Funding for the project came from federal-aid highway funds set aside for the now-canceled Barney Circle project.
Performance-based contracting specifies desired outcomes rather than the material or method to be used for particular tasks. The contractor must meet or exceed a "performance measure," such as cleaning up graffiti or filling potholes within 24 or 48 hours. As the first urban performance-based contract, the data will be widely disseminated.
