Pennsylvania's Office of Public Private Partnerships announced on July 19 that it has received six unsolicited proposals for transportation projects, two of which will be considered by the P3 board this fall.

In May, PennDOT announced that it was accepting proposals from the private sector on innovative ways to deliver transportation projects across a variety of modes including roads, bridges, rail, aviation and ports.

While six proposals were received, the department recommended that two projects be considered by the P3 board at their meeting in September.

• Proposal submitted by Paoli-based Site Acquisition Services, Inc. Their proposal calls for working with PennDOT to identify and market PennDOT-controlled structures such as bridges, signs, buildings and maintenance facilities where wireless antennas and related equipment can be attached.

• Proposal submitted by Bentley Systems, Inc., in Exton. Their proposal calls for PennDOT to replace its aging Automated Permit Routing Analysis System (APRAS), used to issue special hauling permits, with the company's commercially available turn-key system already deployed in neighboring states.

Board approval would allow the department to proceed with advertising a Request for Proposals (RFP) based on the concepts in the unsolicited proposal.

In addition to the two proposals moving for board consideration, PennDOT has recommended conducting more detailed studies on two other proposals. One proposal calls for the installation of a secure, high-speed wireless network along 200 miles of navigable waterways in western Pennsylvania. PennDOT also recommended a more detailed study on a proposal to construct a new Capital Area Transit maintenance facility.

Two other proposals were not selected for action because they lacked necessary research to demonstrate their feasibility or because details were not specific.

Source: PennDOT