HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE

EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH DRAWBRIDGES

Our management team has over half a century of combined project management experience and over 35 years project management of State and Federal DOT contracts to operate, maintain and repair drawbridges. This includes being responsible for managing the commercial aspects of the business including staffing, training, estimating, planning, designing, profitability, business growth, and contract compliance for a Fortune 500 company. The contracts include total operational and maintenance responsibility of the drawbridge structures. A trained staff is maintened for the care and rehabilitiation of the bridge operating systems. Project management includes training the staff and field verification of their work. Regular meetings with clients are scheduled to mutually resolve any issues from technical to financial.

Florida Drawbridge’s experience has led us to accomplish our vision of becoming a leader in providing services to the drawbridge industry.  Florida Drawbridge has the means and capabilities (and dedication) to ensure that a client’s objective of providing a cost effective, high quality, transportation infrastructure through privatization is met.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Our experience has given us a unique and specialized knowledge of the commercial, social and political aspects of drawbridges. We understand how crucial the maintenance of the bridges is to the local economy and the entire South Florida Region, affecting many businesses and thousands of jobs. Keeping drawbridges in peak operating condition is essential to the trade. This was truly apparent when the NW 5th Street Bridge was struck by a freighter twice within 30 days in the summer of 2005. After the second hit, the tug company was prohibited from operating by their insurance carrier until changes were made to prevent further hits. This stopped all trade on the Miami River.

After the hit, Florida Drawbridge responded in less than 30 minutes to close the road and secured the bridge temporarily in the open position to maintain the waterway traffic. The Department asked us to secure the spans in a wider opening than previously designed.  Florida Drawbridge staff engineered a repair and proceeded to secure the bridge in a position exceeding the normal open position. The crew worked throughout the night completing the adjustment successfully. Even during Hurricane Wilma, and several more hits, this repair has held the bridge in the open position.

Old Fifth Street bridge. A new movable bridge is scheduled to open in March 2010.

PRESENT CONTRACTS

• F-DOT District Six: 35 bridges in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties to provide Asset Management including management and performance of all routine maintenance activities currently maintained by Department; performing all bridge tending services and maintenance and repair activates associated with movable and fender structures, including all traffic services, structure inspection and incident management for FDOT. (February 2005 till present) $23 million (7 years)
• Infrastructure Corp. of America (ICA): 23 Moveable bridges from Lee to Pinellas Counties on Florida’s West Coast to provide maintenance and routine and emergency repair services. (Jan. 2009 to Dec 2011) $3.4 million
• Martin County: Hobe Sound Moveable bridge to provide bridge emergency and routine repair services, parts and preventative maintenance. (March 2006 till May 2012) $410,000.00
• South Florida Water Management District; Palm Beach County to provide Facilities electrical and HVAC handyman services. (August 2006 to present) $410,700.00
• Kiewit: 63rd Street Bridge, in Miami-Dade County to provide bridge tending and repair of the mechanical and electrical systems. Project includes the installation of submarine cable assembly for rehabilitation. (April 2005 till present) $220,00.00

SPECIAL PROJECTS

• Snake Creek Motor Repair: Job included removing span motor, bearings replaced off site, motor reinstalled, aligned and tested. Aug 2009
• Blackburn Swing Bridge AC Drive Upgrade. Project consisted of redesign drive system, reconfigure control panel and limit switches. Calibrated and tested. March 2009
• NW 36th Street Bridge Miami, FL, Stinger, girder and floor beam repair of major degenerative wear. Work consisted of paint and rust removal, welding plates and connections, sealing and painting. Feb 2009
• Brickell Bridge, Miami, FL. Lock bar replacement, consisted of removing bent and jammed 9 inch by 6 inch solid steel lock bar. Replacement bar was custom machined along with associated lock attachments; Lock bar was replaced, lock reassembled, calibrated and tested. Jan. 2009
• 7 Mile Bridge, Florida Keys Navigational lighting upgrade to Solar conversion, May 2008
• Snake Creek, Islamorada, FL, Installation of Traffic gates and housing and repair of grounding system. Project consisted of installation of (4) gates to replace existing poorly functioning units and repairing the existing grounding system by reattaching the existing down leads at columns to the existing ground rods. 2008
• SW 1st Street, Miami, FL. Replace girder trunnion bushings including jacking east leaf, replacing corroded anchor bolts and bonding and grounding of electrical equipment. This project included jacking procedures, removing caps of the near leaf, machining of the bearing bases for ANSI B,1 fit & LCI clearance with the bushings, supplying and installing (2) new bushings. The project also included replacing 20 corroded trunnion base bolts with new turned bolts to conform to an LC1 fit. The grounding project provided labor and equipment to ground/bond the generator, auto transfer switch, motor control center, and the Main Breaker to the ground system in accordance with codes, regulation and F-DOT Specification 508-1 to 508-23. 2008
• SW 1st Street, Miami, FL. Install Split level Air conditioner. The project included removing the electrical room louvers, fill the louver space with masonry material, and install split level air condition system per local codes for the roadway level for the bridge house. The project also included providing and mounting a galvanized steel platform for the AC compressor. 2008
• PLC Program Backups and EEPROM Installation Miami, Project consists of downloading bridge PLC programs on 5 bridges (Sunny Isles, W. 79th, East 79th, Brickell Ave, and Flagler St.) to CD, making copies, installing EEPROM and testing the system. 2006
• Jewfish Creek, Key Largo, FL, Installation of Traffic Gates and Housing, Project consisted of installation of (2) oncoming gates to replace existing poorly functioning units. One gate was replaced under our State Contract and one under our construction contract with Granite Construction. Electrical engineering was required to configure the new controls with the existing control system. 2005
• SW 1st Street, Miami, FL, Jacking Screw Repair, Projected consisted of repairing 3 jacking screw assemblies on the near leaf. Bridge was closed and secured in the air for repair. 2005
• NW 5th Street, Miami, FL, Emergency Repair, Project consisted of modification design and build repair to secure the bridge in the open position after major vessel collision. 2005
• Jewfish Creek, Key Largo, FL, Drive Installation and Control Upgrade, Project consisted of replacing (2) GE variable frequency drives (2) with new AB VFD drives and designing controls to interface into the existing controls. 2005
• Miami Dade County, FL, Miami River Sub Cable Project Project consisted of installing new Submarine cables on the NW 22nd Ave., NW 17th Ave., and Miami Ave. Bridges. Florida Drawbridge managed the subcontractors, including dredging, coring and excavation; prepared all submittals; managed and obtained necessary permits under strict time constraints due to the Army Corp of Engineers Miami River Dredging Project. 2005
• Jupiter Federal, Jupiter, FL. Hydraulic Cylinder Repair, Project was to remove (4) leaf hydraulic cylinders, rebuild with new rods, seals, wipers etc and reinstall into the operating system. The cylinders were removed in a one night closure and reinstalled during another one night closure. 2005
• Atlantic Ave. Delray Beach, FL. Fender Repair, Project was to remove bottom walers and install new plastic walers on the bottom row. 2005
• Indian Town Road, Jupiter, FL. Installation of new Barrier Gates and Housings, Project was to remove Hurricane/tornado damaged traffic barriers and gates and install new B&B traffic barriers and gates. Gates were VT 77 and Barriers were VT 6801. 2005
• Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach, FL. Damaged Lock Receiver Repair, Perform project to straighten lock receiver, guides and associated steel after lock control failure caused bridge to open with lock driven. 2004

PREVIOUS CONTRACTS

• Kiewit Southern: 12th Street Bridge, in Miami-Dade County to provide bridge tending, preventive maintenance and repair of the mechanical and electrical systems. (April 2005 to July 23, 2009) $480,000.000
• Granite Construction: Jewfish Creek Bridge, in Key Largo to provide bridge tending, preventive maintenance and repair of the mechanical and electrical systems. (April 2005 to Sept 2008) $0.75 million
• F-DOT District VI: Twelve Movable bridges in Miami-Dade & Monroe Counties to provide bridge tending, mechanical, electrical and welding maintenance and repair services. (May 2003- Feb 1, 2007) $9.6 million
• PCL Civil Constructors, Inc.: to provide bridge tending, recruitment, training, and supervision services during bridge rehabilitation projects.
       Sunny Isles, in Miami-Dade County (Sept 2008-Feb 2009) $75,600.00
       17th Street Bridge, for Miami-Dade County $58,875.00
       PGA Bridge, in Palm Beach County (November 2004 to present) $0.3 million.
       Hollywood Bridge, in Broward County (September 2005 to present) $0.21 million.
       14th Street Bridge, in Broward County (October 2005 to present) $0.12 million.
       Ernest Lyons Bridge, in St. Lucie County (July 2004 till present) $0.3 million.
       Flagler Street over Miami River (Aug 2002-March 2003) ($84,000)
       Dania Beach in Broward County ( April 2002 to Feb 2003) $66,250)
• City of Ft. Lauderdale: 11th Avenue Bridge to provide bridge tending, recruitment, training and supervision services. (October 2003 to Aug 2006) $0.51 million.
• F-DOT District IV: Eleven bridges in Palm Beach County to provide bridge tending and preventative maintenance and repair of the mechanical and electrical systems. (June 2003 till Nov. 2005) $8.8 million.
• F-DOT District IV: Three bridges in St. Lucie and Martin Counties to provide bridge tending and preventative maintenance and repair of the mechanical and electrical systems. (June 2003 till August 2004) $2.3 million.
• Archer Western Contractors: Jensen Beach Causeway, in St. Lucie County to provide bridge tending and preventative maintenance and repair of the mechanical and electrical systems. (May 2002 till Sept. 2004) $0.25 million.
• General Electric/District Six: Twelve (12) movable bridge in Miami/Dade & Monroe counties to provide services including bridge tending, and preventative maintenance and repair of the mechanical and electrical systems. (July 1998 to June 2002) The approximate value of these contracts was $0.62 million per year.
• General Electric/District IV: Ten (10) movable bridges in Broward County to provide services including bridge tending, and preventative maintenance and repair of the mechanical and electrical systems. (October 1998 to June 2002) $0.61 million/year.
• General Electric/District I: Five (5) movable bridges in Manatee & Sarasota Counties to provide services including bridge tending, preventative maintenance and repair of the mechanical and electrical systems. (October 1998 to July 2002) Approximate value of this contract was $0.42 million per year.
• General Electric/District I: Four (4) movable bridges in Sarasota County to provide services including bridge tending, preventative maintenance and repair of the mechanical and electrical systems (July 1998 to July 2002) The approximate value of these contracts was $0.33 million per year.
• General Electric/District V: Four (4) movable bridges in Volusia County to provide services including bridge tending, preventative maintenance and repair of the mechanical and electrical systems. (October 1, 1999 to July 2002) The approximate value of this contract was $0.25 million per year.
• General Electric/District IV: Four (4) movable bridges in Martin/St. Lucie Counties to provide services including bridge tending, preventative maintenance and repair of the mechanical and electrical systems (December 1, 1997 to March 31, 2002). The approximate value of this contract was $0.4 million per year.

HURRICANE RESPONSE EXPERIENCE

Florida Drawbridge brings real-time experience in responding to the Department during hurricanes. In the previous two record setting hurricane years, we prepared beforehand and responded beyond expectations for the F-DOT bridges in Palm Beach, Monroe and Miami Dade Counties for 6 hurricanes (Charley, Frances, Jeanne, Katrina, Rita and Wilma). The jobs were to remove gates, shut down power and secure each bridge before the storms made landfall. Then, after the storms passed and even at times with poor or no communications available, Florida Drawbridge responded. We had a strategy planned to return the bridges to service within the first 12 hours of notice to open the structures. Florida Drawbridge had operational staff present and maintenance personnel on site making necessary repairs to structures, reinstalling gates and bringing the bridges back on line under emergency generator power until the utility (FPL, Fla. Keys Coop./ & Others) returned normal power.

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