U.S. General Services Administration
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in Action, First Construction Contract Awarded
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recently awarded a $420,908 asphalt replacement contract for the Lukeville Land Port of Entry (LPOE) to OCS Construction, a small disadvantaged business and certified 8(a) contractor. This award supports several key GSA initiatives. It not only marks the start of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding use but also aligns with GSA’s FY22 agency-wide goal of increasing the allocation of awarded contracts to small disadvantaged businesses, and will implement the newly established standards for low embodied carbon concrete/asphalt.
President Biden has charged the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to be used in building a better America. GSA is intending to do just that.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a positive impact on safe and secure border crossing as well continue our efforts in creating sustainable facilities,” said R9 Public Building Services Regional Commissioner Dan Brown. “The law has provided $3.4 billion for GSA work at over 26 Land Ports of Entry projects of varying size and scope on the northern and southern borders. In addition to the Lukeville LPOE paving project, we also have four other major construction or modernization projects and a paving project at the Otay Mesa LPOE funded in GSA’s Pacific Rim Region.”
GSA’s contracting team “found their way to yes” in securing BIL funding by incorporating the newly established low embodied carbon concrete and asphalt standards. Those standards require environmental product declarations of at least two environmentally preferable techniques or practices to be used during the materials manufacture or installation of their products. The new embodied carbon standard design will in turn lighten the environmental footprint, meeting the increase in sustainability goals, and provide cleaner construction initiatives.
The Lukeville LPOE, a five lane multimodal port, serves both commercial and non-commercial traffic and is located approximately 149 miles southwest of Tucson, Arizona on the international border with Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico. The port processes 1 million passengers and more than 400 thousand vehicles annually and plays an integral role in the trade and travel industry.
Constructed in 1976, the port is now showing signs of deterioration and is in need of repair. The asphalt has undergone rapid decline forcing lane closures due to potholes and asphalt damage increasing wait times for travelers and escalating into hazardous work environments for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. The repairs will consist of the removal of 2” of the existing asphalt in order to determine required excavation necessary to improve port safety. The backfilled, compacted and resurfaced areas will modernize the port creating a smoother experience for officers and travelers alike.
“This investment under BIL will make the Lukeville LPOE safer, more efficient, and a faster place to enter into the United States,” said Brown. “GSA R9 is pleased to make this project a reality.”