Federal Highway Administration Denies Maryland Request For Project Labor Agreement on Woodrow Wilson Bridge

Federal Highway Administration
December 7, 2001

Friday, December 7, 2001
FHWA 43-01
Contact: Ben Langer
Telephone: 202-366-5580

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today denied a request by the Maryland Department of Transportation to require the use of a project labor agreement (PLA) on the superstructure contract of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project.

The FHWA found that Maryland officials had not demonstrated that the proposed PLA met the agency’s standards for evaluating PLAs on federally funded projects, nor proven that the proposed PLA would provide the benefits claimed in Maryland’s submissions.

FHWA Administrator Mary E. Peters praised FHWA staff for conducting a thorough and objective decision-making process. The final information obtained from state officials was provided to FHWA earlier this week.

“This is good news for the drivers and passengers of the nearly 200,000 vehicles who cross the Wilson Bridge every day,” Administrator Peters said. “This decision clears the way for the new bridge to be constructed as efficiently and quickly as possible.

“We are hopeful that the fact-gathering process required to reach this decision on the Wilson Bridge PLA request will change the debate from political assumptions to one based on measurable data,” Administrator Peters said.