The Interstate 244 bridge that was damaged by a truck earlier this month is reopen, but at almost double the expected cost.
The contractor said they could do the job in 34 days. But they did it in only 12 days.
An early completion bonus of $20,000 a day, added $400,000 to the cost of the project.
"They asked us if we would accept a November 21st deadline and we had to talk with suppliers and fabricators and we thought we could get it done on or before November 21st," said Mike Webb of Manhattan Road and Bridges.
They had 34-days, to construct a new beam and have it fitted to the existing structure. That was something transportation experts said could take months. For the first time, Manhattan trickled down their own incentive to suppliers.
"We put a penalty on them if they could not hit the deadline we gave them and they beat their deadline also. So it was a cooperative effort started with ODOT, down through us, down through suppliers and fabricators," said Webb.
The job was done in one-third of the time. A crew of 30 worked 24-hours a day for seven days straight. Engineers say the work and the materials are safe and met every specification.
If they bridge wasn't completed on time, they could have been penalized the same $20,000 a day.
Manhattan has paid hundreds of thousands in penalties. The bridge over the Arkansas River has a 2013 deadline and it's borderline. That bridge has a $25,000 daily incentive or penalty.
"The weather is not your friend, in Oklahoma, traffic problems, material problems. There is a lot of risk associated with it. And it takes a real dedicated effort to beat these deadlines," said Webb.
