UPDATE: Hogan Calls for New Procurement on Highway Contract
Gov. Larry Hogan on Friday asked Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn for a new procurement for a consulting contract to guide $9 billion in highway spending.
The $68.5 million contract became the source of questions by the Board of Public Works. The Daily Record in Baltimore reported that Rahn had failed to disclose ownership and sale of stock in HNTB Corp., his former employer and the company BPW documents show was likely to win the contract.
The winning company would consult with the state over a public-private partnership meant to add travel lanes to I-270, the Capital Beltway and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. A company would ultimately design and construct the new lanes, recouping expenses through tolls.
HNTB was chosen as part of an expedited review process, approved by the General Assembly.
“However, a focus on speed cannot and should not ever come at the expense of the full and complete transparency that the taxpayers of Maryland expect and deserve,” Hogan wrote.
On Friday morning, during a tour of a county fire station, Hogan said the state Ethics Commissions signed off on HNTB Corp. effort to win the contract.
“We still want to make sure we know all about it,” Hogan said Friday morning.
Here’s our interview with the governor:
Here’s the letter Hogan sent Rahn:
Details about the contract, and the BPW’s actions, can be seen in this document, starting on page 86:
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