Cape Cod Canal, Buzzards Bay, MA – Painting and Steel Repairs, Vertical Lift Railroad Bridge

Cape Cod Canal, Buzzards Bay, MA – Painting and Steel Repairs, Vertical Lift Railroad Bridge

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District is issuing the Painting and Steel Repairs at the Vertical Lift Railroad Bridge at the Cape Cod Canal in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. The NAICS code for the work described below is 238320. The project is planned to be issued in November 2024 and will be unrestricted.  The period of performance will be approximately 545 days.  The estimated magnitude of this project is between $10,000,000 - $20,000,000.

The Vertical Lift Railroad Bridge carries an active railroad track across the Cape Cod Canal Navigation Channel in the vicinity of Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts. The bridge, constructed in 1935 under the direction of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, is a three-span bridge with one main moveable lift span which is flanked by a tower (257-foot tall) and approach span at each end. All spans are composed of bolted and riveted steel through trusses. The main lift span is 544 feet long and when in the raised position provides a vertical clearance of 136 feet above mean high water to accommodate vessel traffic below the bridge.  The approach spans are 128 feet long.

The scope of this project shall include blast cleaning all the metalwork of the bridge down to bare metal and application of a high-performance paint system.  The preparation methods will likely include solvent cleaning (SSPC SP 1) to remove all visible oil, grease, and other contaminant residues followed by commercial blast cleaning (SSPC SP 6/NACE No.3).  The paint system to be applied is anticipated to be a three-coat system.   Potential bidders may refer to EM-385-1-1 for requirements related to abrasive blasting, air monitoring and full containment on USACE projects. In addition to the painting, there will be a limited number of steel repairs required on the structure at the towers and center span.  The bridge will need to be properly balanced at all times.  All use of tools or equipment that may affect the balance of the span will require the Contractor to furnish and install balance blocks on the Bridge counterweights.

During the project, the navigation channel below the moveable span of the bridge will remain open.  Additionally, the Railroad Bridge is required to remain functional to accommodate scheduled trains daily. The Mass Coastal Railroad utilizes the bridge to haul waste from Cape Cod typically six days a week. The State provides passenger rail service on weekends during the summer months. The passenger train typically requires the vertical lift bridge to operate six times per week from June to September. 

Potential bidders shall note that there will be significant coordination requirements with MBTA, the Mass Coastal Railroad as well as the Cape Cod Canal Marine Traffic Controller to successfully sequence the work of this project. 

Please note that this solicitation is unrestricted. This is not a request for proposals at this time; the solicitation requirements and contract documents which will include instructions for submission and the response date will be available on or about November 2024. Neither telephonic, mailed, nor faxed requests for hard copies of this solicitation will be accepted. The solicitation will only be available online; in order to view the solicitation offerors must access the System for Award Management website (www.sam.gov). In order to download the solicitation, offerors must access the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (https://piee.eb.mil/). All responsible sources may submit a bid which shall be considered by the USACE New England District. Additional questions may be emailed to the Contract Specialist at brian.t.mannion@usace.army.mil .