The Agency of Transportation is investigating a construction company after a whistleblower alerted the state to four Southern Vermont bridges that were built with “non-conforming construction.”
The agency says after a thorough review, it found all the bridges were safe and structurally sound. The lifespan of the structures, however, will be shortened by 20 to 25 years.
From 2008 to 2010, the Barre-based J.A. McDonald Inc. built two bridges on Route 279 in Bennington and two bridges on Interstate 91 in Guilford. Both were found to have been constructed with faulty methods.
Wayne Symonds, chief engineer at the AOT, said the bridges, which are typically built to last 75 to 100 years, will likely be structurally sound for 50 to 75 years.
In a press release, the agency noted that engineers used “invasive” testing practices like ground-penetrating radar, ultrasonic tests, and visual examinations, to confirm the whistleblower’s tip.
Symonds said state inspectors are on site to ensure that contractors’ work is in conformance. In addition, VTrans workers check bridges every two years for signs of deterioration and poor performance. However, in this case, it took more than that for the problems to be uncovered.
“Safety is the No. 1 concern of this agency and has been our top concern in this matter,” Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn said in a statement. “The agency will aggressively investigate any actions that allegedly violate our contracts, threaten the integrity of our infrastructure, or undermine the public trust.”
In addition to the Agency of Transportation’s investigation, which is focused on safety, Symonds said the Attorney General’s Office will be conducting its own investigation “focused on different aspects other than safety.”
VTrans will not disclose what the non-conforming practices were.
The agency has notified J.A. McDonald that it is no longer eligible to work on additional AOT projects or on projects using AOT grant funds. The company has also been made aware of the state’s laws prohibiting fraudulent activities and false claims.
The state is also reviewing potential contract claims.
J.A. McDonald is currently under contract with the state for work in downtown Waterbury and Route 2 in Cabot. The agency said they’ve assigned additional oversight on those projects “to ensure the integrity of the work meets the contract requirements,” though Symonds noted that the previous nonconforming construction was “bridge-specific.”
Both projects were reportedly awarded before the allegations were confirmed. The agency decided that stopping construction on the ongoing work would cause significant and expensive delays.
J.A. McDonald put out a press release saying they received notice from the agency about the examination of the bridges, though they noted they were built “when the company was under different ownership” and that they have fully cooperated with the investigation.
“J.A. McDonald is a small Vermont company with a long history of quality construction for the state of Vermont and other clients,” Eric Boyden, president of J.A. McDonald said in a statement. “We have pledged transparency and our assistance to the State, and will work with AOT to address any issues discovered.”
