Following the determination in April that the Washington Bridge eastbound was becoming “considerably more sensitive” (gulp), RIDOT contracted to install a new, combined structural health monitoring and vehicle weigh-in-motion program on/between the Washington Bridge and the Iway (Providence River Bridge).

In May, RIDOT entered into a five year “sole source” – i.e., no RFP – contract with Kistler Group for this. This is RIDOT’s explanation to Anchor Rising for not putting the contract out to bid.

This was a sole source procurement. RIDOT had been researching this technology and found that Kistler was the only company that successfully integrates the weigh-in-motion and bridge structural health monitoring systems to give a complete overview, analysis and live monitoring of a structural condition based on live traffic. No other companies contacted about this technology could provide the combined analysis RIDOT sought.

Interesting.

Anchor Rising obtained the RIDOT/Kistler contract; here.

Weigh-in-motion systems have a couple of main uses.  They gather information about the weight of individual vehicles crossing a bridge, which helps monitor the bridge’s structural health.  They also have the capability to facilitate fines on individual, illegally overweight vehicles, either handed out in person by an enforcement officer or via an automated system that simply mails the ticket to the owner of the truck; i.e., enforcement.

PDF Page 21 of the RIDOT/Kistler contract states (emphasis added),

Starting with the Washington Bridge (WB) and the Providence River Bridge (PRB), both in Providence, Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) intends to begin a new state-wide Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) enforcement program.

Oh.  So per the RIDOT/Kistler contract, a new weigh-in-motion (WIM) enforcement program would start with the Washington Bridge and the IWAY and then go state-wide.  Anchor Rising reached out to RIDOT and asked whether an RFP would be issued for this new statewide WIM enforcement program.  RIDOT responded:

Please note, RIDOT does not have nor are we planning on having a state-wide Weigh-in-Motion enforcement program. RIDOT did not select this option and has not purchased the capabilities to do enforcement.

I mean … okay. Denial noted.

But where would the vendor, Kistler, get the idea that RIDOT intends to begin a new statewide weigh-in-motion enforcement program if not … well, directly from RIDOT? 

[Featured Image: Unsplash in collaboration with Nathan Anderson]