This project was unique because this was the first warranty project that the Kentucky Department of Highway has let or awarded. The project consisted of overlaying the existing concrete pavement on IR-275 from IR-75 to just west of KY 237, bridge re-habilitations, guardrail replacement, excavation, pavement markings, and installation of WIM’s. The project was bid using several of the following criteria; could either bid concrete pavement or asphalt pavement based on different pavement sections per plans, had to warranty project for at least five years but no more than ten years, if remedial work had to be performed during the warranty period, every hour there was a lane closure set up the contractor would be assessed a $1,500.00 per hour, and the last criteria was that the bidder had to bid how many calendar days it would take to construct the project. The following was the bid breakdown on how the Kentucky Department of Highway evaluate the lowest responsive bid based on A + B – C:

• The dollar amount for all work to be performed under the contract, whether it be asphalt pavement or concrete pavement.
• The total number of calendar days required to complete all work x $25,000.00 per day
• The value of the warranty as defined below:
1. 5-year Pavement Warranty - Required - C= $0.00
2. 6-year Pavement Warranty - Optional - C= $500,000.00
3. 7-year Pavement Warranty - Optional - C= $1,000,000.00
4. 8-year Pavement Warranty - Optional - C= $1,500,000.00
5. 9-year Pavement Warranty - Optional - C= $2,100,000.00     
6. 10-year Pavement Warranty - Optional - C= $2,900,000.00

The Harper Company was awarded the contract with the following bid breakdown for the above mentioned A +B – C bidding scheme was:

1. Contractor bid concrete pavement: $23,128,278.06
2. Contractor bid 380 calendar days x $25,000.00/day + $9,500,000.00
3. Contractor Warranted the Concrete Pavement for 10 Years; - $2,900,000.00
4. Total Bid: $29,728,278.06

The level of certainty that the contractor has in concrete pavement is evident in the above ten-year warranty that was bid. In addition, The Harper Company beat its asphalt competitors time duration to complete this project by plus or minus two months.

Another unique aspect of this project was the design parameters set by the partnering efforts from Kentucky Department of Highway and The Harper Company for the emergency remedial work on the existing asphalt shoulder. In short, this work had to be performed because less than 24 hours after traffic had been shifted to the existing asphalt shoulder, the shoulder failed. The use of porous econocrete was used to help expedite the reconstruction of the shoulders and saved the Kentucky Department of Highway money. The perforated underdrain pipe that was to be installed in the shoulder was not to be performed until just before the concrete overlay was placed. However, since this shoulder had to be reconstructed it would be less time consuming and less expensive if, it could be placed during the shoulder reconstruction. In order to do this, it was decided, based on design parameters that the porous econocrete would be used. The use of this material had all the required backfill parameters to still maintain a free drainage fill and needed a material that had some compressive strength that would protect the underdrain from being crushed. The porous econocrete was also used as the base for the reconstructed shoulder.