The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) is seeking a prime contractor or joint venture to provide complete financing, design and reconstruction of the Maryland House and Chesapeake House travel plazas on I-95 and to operate, maintain and improve the new facilities for a 35-year term. The MDTA will continue to own the real property [image-nocss] and will receive concessions revenues from the plazas as it does today.
In November 2009, the MDTA submitted a letter to the Maryland legislature of its intent to use a public-private partnership funding mechanism for the redevelopment of these aging travel plazas in northeast Maryland.
The partnership solicitation is a new approach that uses private-sector funding to bring improved infrastructure to serve Maryland travelers, according to the MDTA. The prime contractor will pay 100% of the redevelopment costs in exchange for the right to develop, operate, maintain and improve the facilities for 35 years. The MDTA can instead allocate the estimated $110 million in redevelopment costs toward preservation of its tunnels, bridges and highways.
In its March 25, 2010, request for proposals, the MDTA detailed its vision for the project, which emphasizes marquee hospitality, superior customer service and exemplary facilities. Proposers are expected to efficiently allocate all available resources and acreage to meet the following goals:
Provide a clean and secure environment to the traveling public. Adequately accommodate traveler demand over the next 35 years. Consistently provide quality services, products and hospitality through continuous monitoring of service levels and the implementation of appropriate improvements. Reflect the dignity and character of Maryland through superior functionality and aesthetically pleasing architecture. Minimize the duration of reconstruction and customer inconvenience. Maintain productive revenue generations for the MDTA. Possess engineering and design flexibility to accommodate periodic renovation and realignment of facilities, with minimal interference to the safe, efficient and convenient delivery of goods and services. The deadline for submitting proposals is 2:00 p.m. Thursday, July 15, 2010. The MDTA expects to finalize a public-private travel-plaza agreement in mid 2011. Reconstruction of the plazas is expected to take one to two years. Only one travel plaza will be under construction at a given time; in order to maintain continuity of customer services, the other travel plaza will remain fully operational.
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