Given the success of the Mixmaster, it is no surprise that DOT is planning to utilize a PLA on the Gold Star north-bound bridge project between New London and Groton. DOT is making a common-sense and fiscally sound decision to include a PLA in the contract for construction. It’s a win-win for the state. Opponents, like the Yankee Institute, use the old and tired argument that PLAs raise the cost of construction. Yet academic studies by UCLA, Cornell, and other leading institutions have consistently concluded that there is simply no evidence to back up this claim. DOT is not the only public contracting authority to see a value in PLAs. The University of Connecticut, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), and municipalities from every corner of the state have used PLAs for their large-scale construction. PLAs are a tool to ensure the hiring of Connecticut’s workforce, and that our local workforce has good labor protections for them and their families. We applaud the state for continuing to recognize their value.
