U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay wants separate goals for women and minority contractors on the new Mississippi River bridge, the $640 million project scheduled to be under construction in January or February.

In a letter Monday to U.S. Tranportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Clay urged the U.S. Department of Transportation to allow the states to set separate goals for the project, rather than lump the two together as “disadvantaged business enterprises.”

With fewer construction jobs on the horizon due to an anticipated drop in state highway funds, the competition for highway and bridge work in the area is heating up. Groups representing minority contractors have been fighting for more involvement in state road projects after statistics show they receive less of the work than women contracting firms.

Clay writes:  ”It is imperative that action be taken to remove the inequities that currently exist within IDOT and MODOT. Recently, the Missouri Department of Transportation released a report which detailed that out of the $198 million spent in stimulus-funded projects, $2.7 million (1 percent) went to minority firms, while $15.3 million (8 percent) was awarded to women-owned firms.”

Mr. Clay’s letter continues, “MODOT’s own analysis has revealed that a disparity currently exists between the availability of minority-owned firms to do work on the project and their actual utilization. According to MODOT, 62 percent of DBE firms are minority-owned. However, only 12% of minority-owned firms received work, contrary to 38 percent of certified women-owned firms having received 88% of the work. I strongly recommend that the U.S. Department of Transportation separate the DBE goals for women and minorities for the new Mississippi River Bridge project.”

As of Monday, the Missouri and Illinois transportation departments had not requested the waiver. Greg Horn, project director, said the departments were compiling data and are in the process of writing the request.  Next month, the departments plan to let the contract to build the main span. Minority contracting groups have urged the states to have an answer from the Federal Highway Administration by then.

“I was astounded to learn that MODOT and IDOT have failed to request the waiver, even with the deadline for contracting on the new $640 million Mississippi River bridge project fast approaching,” Clay’s letter sttes. ”It would be outrageous and completely unacceptable to allow this contracting process to go forward without having this waiver in place. I urge MODOT and IDOT to immediately file this urgent separation waiver request.”

Last week, MoDOT broke ground on a stimulus project on Lindbergh Boulevard that it awarded to a minority-owned firm.