Dive Brief:

• When Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) officials got only one bid for an improvement project on Interstate 29 in Sioux City, they scaled back the work to address contractors' concerns about too much going on in too little space.
• IDOT wanted to replace two bridges over waterways close to the Missouri River while it also widened the road and rebuilding an entrance ramp.
• The widening and the ramp rebuilding are gone from this summer's schedule after all but the one contractor bid on the previous plan, and a new call for bids will go out next month.

Dive Insight:

IDOT officials said they were not shocked when the contractor community kept hands off the bid package for the full project. There had been concerns about all the equipment needed for all the work operating in a small area, but the extent of the problem was not clear until final plans went out, they said. Now they are trying to figure out whether the other work can be rescheduled to keep a 2018 completion target or if they will need an extra year.