In 2010, the Department of Transportation awarded its largest contract ever: $356 million to rebuild the interchange of I-91, I-95 and Route 34 in New Haven.
DOT awarded the contract, part of a $2.2 billion plan to rebuild the Q Bridge, to a joint venture of O&G Industries of Torrington and New York-based Tutor Perini.
Some critics of O&G raised questions about whether it was eligible to get the contract after serious accidents at its worksites, including the Kleen Energy plant explosion that killed six.
One critic, Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia, later withdrew her objections after meeting with labor leaders.
The second-lowest bidder, a joint venture known as SDE Interchange, filed suit against O&G, Tutor Perini and DOT. Lawyers for SDE claimed O&G’s record with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration prevented the state from awarding it the contract.
A judge dismissed the suit in May.
Amid all of this, I received a 55-page response to a Freedom of Information Act request from DOT, including emails and the findings of the “responsibility meeting” that recommended awarding the contract to O&G.
The documents never led to an article, but they may be interesting to some readers. If you find a story in them that I missed, let me know. The New Haven Register has related documents here.
Index
p. 1-6: DOT emails
P. 7: Letter from City of New Haven approving “permanent closure of the Brewery Street on-ramp to westbound Route 34.”
p. 8-10: DOT emails
p. 11-18: DOT letter to O&G requesting responsibility meeting
p. 19-27: DOT emails
p. 28-45: Memo recommending contract award to O&G/Tutor Perini after responsibility meeting
p. 46-48: “Responsibility Process Documents for the Record”
p. 49-52: DOT emails
p. 53: Chart of contract expenses/savings
p. 54-55: List of DOT projects