DATE: Thursday, March 27, 1997              TAG: 9703270373

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: STAFF REPORT 

                                            LENGTH:   27 lines

VDOT NETWORK GETS LONE PROPOSAL

A partnership of Bell Atlantic Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Castle Tower Corp. submitted the lone proposal Wednesday to the Virginia Department of Transportation for construction of a fiber-optic telecommunications network along interstate highways in the state.

Houston-based Castle Tower was listed as the prime contractor, said Bill Barker, VDOT's procurement manager. He said the agency will likely decide within 90 days whether to negotiate for a final contract. He declined to provide details of the proposal.

As part of a new effort to capitalize on its right-of-way, VDOT told bidders it would consider cash and/or equipment contributions in exchange for rights to build the network. VDOT wants to wire its traffic and weather sensors into the network.

The Virginia Telecommunications Industry Association, of which Bell Atlantic is a member, had protested VDOT's plan - saying that the agency's intention to award exclusive rights to its right-of-way to one bidder is anti-competitive. The association has said all telecommunications companies should be able to use VDOT's right-of-way at little or no charge when building fiber-optic networks.

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