Related stories Time is money on state projects Workdays not all "working days" Contractors thrive by shuffling crews Combining jobs creates efficiency, frustration Months of work lost to 'bad luck' Utility lines can tangle road work "SUE" helps state avoid utility line surprises Delays are cost of penny-wise approach Some bids consider time as well as money Inspectors watch crews waste time Fahey vows changes in Omaha's road work

8.18.04 All that orange costs you green by Mike O'Connor, Omaha World-Herald The traffic barrels and barricades you maneuver around while driving through construction zones have a price -- and you help pay it. Contractors include that cost when they bid on state and city road projects. The state and city then cover that cost with public money when paying the contractor for the work. An example: Hawkins Construction Co. pays 50 cents per day for each barrel, pylon and small barricade on its Blair High Road project northwest of Omaha. That's about average for a state-run project. That 50 cents can add up. On average Hawkins had 440 traffic control devices on the four-mile project per day during a recent two-week span. Daily cost: $220. The bigger barricades are more expensive -- $1.06 each per day. On average, Hawkins had 218 big barricades on Blair during that two-week span. Daily cost: $231. Combined, that's $451 per day; more than $13,500 monthly. And the Blair High Road project is in its 17th month. Click here to go to the top of this page

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